


i was a child / it's a strange thought

by irlbyron



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: (because Percy's been brainwashed), Age Regression/De-Aging, Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Intentionally OOC, Little Percy, Mind Manipulation, Non-Sexual Age Play, Psychological Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-09-20 15:27:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9498329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irlbyron/pseuds/irlbyron
Summary: Grindelwald played sick mind games on Percival Graves during his capture, and made him think he was a child, and now, after his rescue, it's up to Newt, Tina, Queenie, Jacob, and Seraphina to help Percy.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> this fic centres on the effects of mental manipulation, and also how age regression can be a coping mechanism or response to trauma. it's not sexual in any nature because in all honestly i find that's a trigger for me.

9 days since Grindelwald had been captured and imprisoned, and Tina and Seraphina had been very close to giving up on finding Percy alive, before they’d finally broken a curse in Percival’s apartment that had been hiding him. The curse had been sneaky, hidden under the charms and protection spells Percival had placed on his apartment, so it had taken a large team of highly skilled aurors to break past the defences and discover the hidden room in Percival’s apartment.

Their work was far from over, and opening the room was now at the very least of their problems. Percival was completely refusing to let anyone near him, hissing and growling at anyone who stepped in the room. Even Picquery. He was behaving almost animalistic, and Tina knew then who she needed to bring in.

/

/

/

“Newt, are you able to come in and just… take a look?” Tina begged. “No one knows what to do, he won’t let us anywhere near him. You’re our only hope, Newt.”

“Of course Tina, you don’t need to beg, I’ll come. I’ll happily help Mr Graves” Newt said, as the two of them stood in his motel room. He was already fiddling with his case and rummaging through it. “What… how is he?”

“Merlin, I wish I could say. We can barely see him, he keeps growling and hissing at anyone who even steps in the room!” Tina exclaimed, waving her hands drastically.

“Ok, ok, I’ll come. Let’s apparate” Newt said, took Tina’s arm, and whisked them away.

/

/

/

“Mr Scamander, you understand this is a very sensitive situation. Percival is a very important man, both personally and professionally, and we want to keep him as safe and comfortable as possible, given his situation,” Picquery said firmly, escorting Newt towards the secret room in Percival’s apartment.

“I understand, I just want to help” Newt said nervously. He laid his case on the ground outside of the room, and crouched down to look into the room. There was a gentle growl, and Newt backed away, gesturing for the people around him to do the same. “Ok, I’m going to deilluminate the lights and go in slowly.”

Newt quickly threw off his coat and blazer and left himself in his waistcoat.

“Be careful, Mr Scamander,” a senior auror murmured.

Newt nodded, and crouched down as he waved his hand and the lights went down in the room. He slowly moved towards Percival, who seemed to be located in the corner of the room under a desk.

“Hello, Percival” Newt whispered.

Percival growled, and then whimpered as Newt moved into his view, and Newt could finally catch sight of Percival. He managed to hide a sharp intake of breath as he took in the sight of a very thin and ragged Percival. He was emaciated and dirty and on his hands and knees with only a pair of underwear. His face was smooth and soft though, and so was the rest of his body. Evidently Grindelwald had shaved him during his imprisonment, the sick fuck. His hair was fairly short, different from the impersonation - rather than shaved sides it was shorter on the sides with floppy bangs that tickled Percival’s eyes.

“It’s alright, Percival. My name is Newt, I’m here to help you out” Newt continued. Percival growled again, a sound that just screamed ‘I’m scared. I’m alone. I’m confused. Back the fuck off.’

Newt crouched further down until he was on his knees himself. “Hello there. Would you like to come out? It’s ok, you’re safe here.”

Percival whimpered, and looked out from under the desk. He whimpered once more, but started to crawl out a little bit until he was closer to Newt. “I-is daddy here?” He whispered, looking terrified.

Newt was frozen in shock for only a split second. Looking scared wasn’t going to help Percival. “N-no, daddy’s not here. Are you scared?”

“Daddy said wait. Wait for him. Or I’ll get in trouble” Percival whimpered, eyes darting around the room.

“It’s ok, daddy’s not here. He’s not going to hurt you. Daddy can’t hurt you ever again” Newt said, holding his hand out to Percival. “Would you like to come out now? It’s ok, you’re safe.”

Percival was very hesitant, but he slowly crawled out until he was sitting on his knees in front of Newt, looking suspiciously at the magiczoologist’s hand. “D-did daddy send you? T-to punish me?”

“No, no, I’m with your friends, Tina and Seraphina” Newt hushed. He gently reached out and patted the side of Percival’s face. “Would you like to see them?” Percival whimpered, but nodded tentatively. “Ok, we can do that, but we need to take you to a hospital. You don’t look very well, I don’t think your daddy took very good care of you.”

“Daddy took very good care of me” Percival instantly replied, sounding very scripted.

“Ok, let’s get you to the healers anyway” Newt soothed, petting Percy’s hair and brushing the bangs out of his eyes. “Can you come with me outside?”

Percy yelped and immediately scrambled back under the desk. “Don’t wanna. Outside. No.” He hugged his knees to his chest and tried to hide behind his knees, but he was far too thin for it to really have any effect.

“Alright” Newt hushed. “Percival, can you come back out for me. It’s ok, I can get you safe before we take you out, alright? Would that help?’’

Percival looked up, and his dark brown eyes were filled with tears. “Mhmm. Safe” He mumbled. He crawled back out towards Newt and headbutted Newt’s outstretched hand.

Newt nodded and patted Percival’s hair, and started mumbling a spell to make Percival calm down and drift asleep. Percival’s eyes started to droop and he collapsed into Newt’s arms, snoring softly. “Ok, you’re safe, I’ve got you” Newt sighed, closing his eyes and petting Percival’s hair. “Seraphina! Tina! I’ve got him.”

The auror and the president of MACUSA rushed in to see an emaciated Percival Graves snuggled in Newt’s arms, snoring and hiding his face in Newt’s chest.

“What happened?” Seraphina was the first to speak.

“He- I- Grindelwald did something to his mind. He- Percival - called him - Grindelwald - ‘daddy’” Newt stuttered, still in shock from it all. “I think Percival… I think he’s experiencing behavioural regression or cognitive manipulation. Either way, he’s convinced that Grindelwald is his daddy who took great care of him.”

“I’m gonna kill him” Tina muttered, squeezing her wand and making sparks fly out the end.

Seraphina shook her head. “Not if I get there first” She muttered, and then straightened up and took a more authoritative stance. “Now, Mr Scamander, can you get him out of here, and to the hospital?

“Of course, we can apparate there” Newt nodded, and lifted Percival into his arms and stood up. Newt was shocked by how light Percival was and he bit his lip to stop tears from falling at the miserable sight. “O-ok, let’s go.”


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy at the hospital

Once in the hospital, Percival was inconsolable. He was hiding in the corner, and growling, hissing, whimpering, and almost _biting_ anyone who went near him, bar Newt. So regardless of the procedure they were performing on Percival, Newt had to be beside him, calming him down.

After the first, most thorough examination, the healers had cataloged all his injuries. He two unhealed ankle fractures, a badly healed leg fracture, lacerations on his back and chest and arms, and two broken wrists. The biggest relief came when the healers confirmed no signs of sexual trauma. That had been one of Newt’s biggest concerns after the whole ‘daddy’ reveal, but it seemed that Grindelwald was merely earning compliance through very sick psychological games.

The healers were content to leave for a brief period after that examination, and Newt could finally get Percival to calm down. He sat Percival on the bed, cross-legged, and wrapped him in some blankets to stop him shaking.

Newt then sat opposite Percival and gently petted his knee. “Well done, Percy, you did so well. You were so brave for me.”

“I-I was good? Was I a good boy?” Percival asked, looking up hopefully.

Newt briefly hesitated, but then smiled and ruffled Percival’s hair. “Yes, Percy, you’re a very good boy.”

Percival smiled, for the first time since Newt had seen either him or his imposter. Newt couldn’t help but smile back at the boy. Now Newt had had a chance to properly observe Percival’s behaviour, he’d drawn the conclusion that Percival was experiencing age regression due to Grindelwald’s conditioning, and it was being exacerbated by the trauma.

“I-I was daddy’s good boy. Is daddy coming back?” Percival asked, pulling the blankets tighter around him.

“Do you want him to come back?” Newt asked tentatively, trying to catch Percival’s eye.

Percival’s eyebrows furrowed and he looked down at his lap. “I-I dunno. He was scary but only when I was naughty. He was nice sometimes. When I was good. I don’t know. I don’t know!” He repeated, eyes filling with tears.

“Oh, Percival, shh, it’s ok. It’s ok to be confused. I’m sure daddy was nice sometimes, you don’t have to feel bad for liking him” Newt hushed, pulling Percival into a hug.

Percival whimpered and buried his face in Newt’s chest and started crying. Newt stroked his hair and muttered soothing words in Percy’s ear. Newt wasn’t entirely used to dealing with this kind of psychological conflict in humans, but when dealing with trauma in animals, Newt was an expert and it turned out those skills were highly transferable.

Percival’s crying was beginning to taper off as he tired himself out, and he nuzzled into Newt’s chest. “Newt, can you be my new daddy?”

Newt froze, and held Percy’s head up. “Oh, Percy, I can’t be your daddy. I’m a friend of yours who’s trying to help you get better” He said softly, trying to let the boy down easy.

Percival’s eyes refilled with tears and he shrugged away from Newt. “But… nothing’s wrong? What’s wrong with me? Why do I need to get better?”

Newt was at a loss. “I-I uh… I can’t really explain, Percy. Your daddy didn’t treat you very well and we need to help you feel better so you don’t need daddy anymore.”

“Daddy said I'd always need him. I'm his special boy. I'm helping him” Percival stammered. “He- he's making the world safe for wizards. That's what daddy does.”

Newt bit his lip and took Percival’s face between his hands. “Percy, I know that's what daddy told you, but that's not true. Your daddy- Grindelwald wanted to hurt people who aren't magic. He did hurt people.”

Percival’s eyes went wide and he shook his head aggressively. “No! Daddy said you'd say that! He said people would- would try and make me be-betray him,” Percival scrambled off the bed and into the corner of the room again. “I want my daddy!” He said attempting to sound defiant but his voice wobbled on the verge of tears.

Newt crouched down and pulled Percival into a tight hug, rocking him gently. Percival struggled slightly, but Newt held on tight. Pressure was a common tactic he used to calm agitated creatures, and he knew that it often worked on children, as Percival evidently was at the moment.

“Hush now, darling” Newt whispered, stroking Percival’s hair. “It’s ok.” It wasn't really ok, but Newt didn't know what else to say to the crying boy in his arms. “Mummy's here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> send me stuff/requests/etc at irlbyron and pls leave comments and kudos. also tell me what u think of Newt being 'mummy' cause i'm on the fence about it and i'd love to get your feedback


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percival meets Tina and Seraphina again.

Newt really didn’t know what to do with poor Percy. The boy had become attached to Newt incredibly quickly, in the same way his bowtruckle Pickett had. Essentially, Percy had imprinted on Newt which made sense given that Newt had rescued him from the man who’d tortured him for months. Now Newt found himself in the unusual position of being very attached to Percy, and wanting to become his caretaker.

“It’s ok. Mummy’s here” Newt whispered. Saying that came as a shock even to himself; Newt was used to being the mummy of his creatures but never to a person. But as he said it, it seemed to suit him, and since Newt couldn’t be ‘daddy’ - the name associated with the man who’d bought Percy so much pain - Mummy would work. “Mummy’s here.”

“Mummy?” Percy asked, looking up from his position of being buried in Newt’s chest. He couldn’t describe it, not in his mindset, but Percival felt a profound feeling of warmth and safety when Newt had declared himself Percy’s mummy. He wanted more of that feeling.  

“Y-yes, Percy. I can’t be your daddy, but you can call me mummy if you like?” Newt offered, gently stroking Percy’s floppy bangs out of his eyes.

Percy nodded tentatively, leaning into Newt’s touch. “Daddy- daddy said I didn’t need anyone but him.” He whispered, but stayed snuggled into Newt. “He won’t find out, will he?”

“Of course not, darling. There’s no way for him to find out, it’s our secret” Newt said. He rocked Percy soothingly as the boy started to calm down and his tears finally stopped. “Do you think you’re up to seeing Tina and Seraphina? They’d really like to see you, Percy.”

“Tina? The- the lady from- from- I don’t know” Percy stuttered. “And-and Sera...I can’t.”

“Hey, Percy, it’s alright. It’s alright, dear. They just want to say hello and see you” Newt soothed, holding Percy tight and petting his hair.

“O-ok. Will you stay, m-mummy?” Percy mumbled shyly, blushing a little. He was still shy about calling Newt ‘mummy’, even though he wanted too. It still felt like disobedience to his daddy.

“Of course, dear. I’m going to go and let them in, ok. You sit back on the bed, and I’ll be right back, I promise” Newt said, pushing Percival’s bangs out of his eyes again, and stepping outside the door.

“Mr Scamander, is he ready to see us?” Seraphina asked immediately.

Newt subconsciously blocked the door with his body in a protective fashion. “Yes, yes he is. But, uh, he seems a bit confused about where he knows you from. I expect his regressed mind is having difficulty reconciling with his adult life. But he does want to see you, so just be gentle. He’s just a little boy now,” Newt implored, and gently pushed the door open to let Tina and Seraphina through.

Percival’s head shot up at the sound of the door, and he started to scramble off the bed, but Newt rushed over. “Hey, hey, Percy! It’s alright, mummy’s here” Newt said, holding onto Percival and stroking his hair. “You’re safe, daddy’s not here. You’re safe.”

Percival whimpered, but stilled on the bed and didn’t make another move to run. Seraphina walked gently towards him and bent down slightly so she was at a more equal height with Percival.

“Oh, Percival. What did he do to you?” She sighed, feeling an incredible wave of guilt wash over her, as she observed the once-powerful man she respected and saw as an equal, now reduced to a scared child by the wizard she was currently holding in her prison.

Percival shook his head, glancing behind Seraphina fearfully. “D-daddy didn’t do anything” Percival insisted, as if Grindelwald was still there and might punish him for agreeing with Seraphina. “He-he was nice sometimes. He’s only scary when I’m bad.”

Seraphina bit her lip and looked at the ground, Percival’s words and demeanour almost overwhelming her. She looked up at him again, her eyes shining. “Would- would you like to tell me everything he did? I’ll need you to tell me soon, Percival” Seraphina said quietly.

“I-daddy made me promise to never tell” Percival said. “I had to keep our stuff secret… to keep wizards safe.”

“I know he told you that, but Grindelwald- or your daddy - he did hurt people. He hurt Mr Scamander here. He hurt me. He hurt you. And we want to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone again” Seraphina explained slowly, and maintaining eye contact, so that even subconsciously Percival knew she wasn’t lying. “I will never lie to you, Percival. I promise that. I just need you to help.”

Tina stepped forward, and she sat on the edge of the bed next to Percival. “Percy. My name’s Tina, do you remember me?”

Percival squinted, but nodded slowly. “Think so. Maybe daddy talked about you?”

“Good, that’s good. I’m Seraphina’s friend, and I work with her. I promise you she will never lie to you. We just want to help you, ok?” Tina said. “And-and we can make sure, um, mummy stays with you while you talk to Seraphina.”

Seraphina looked quizzically at Seraphina, and Tina shot back a look and jerked her head towards Newt. Seraphina then nodded, and looked back to Percy. “Of course, Percy. Mummy can stay with you. And Tina if you like.”

“Tina?” Percival asked, tilting his head and looking at Tina.

Tina swallowed nervously, but nodded. “Yes, dear. I’ll make sure you stay safe”

Percival nodded cautiously. “But what if daddy comes back and hurts me. Or hurts you! He said he’d never let anyone else have me” He whimpered, eyes filling with tears again.

Seraphina shushed him and gently stroked his hair in a rare display of tenderness on her part. It was not that she wasn’t a kind woman, of course she was, but her job has necessitated that she put on a more ‘stoic’ persona in order to rise through the ranks of MACUSA. She was, of course, a strong and stoic woman, but that part of her personality had needed to become more dominant as president of MACUSA.

“Percy, he can never hurt you or anyone else again” She said, taking hold of his hands and squeezing them gently. “I promise you, daddy can’t ever hurt you again.”

Percival bit on his thumb and looked up at Newt. “You promise, mummy?” He asked, his voice muffled by the thumb in his mouth.

“I promise. I’ll never let daddy hurt you ever again” Newt said, cupping Percy’s face. “You are completely safe with us. We’ll take care of you, little one.”

Percival nodded and wrapped the blankets around himself. “Ok” He said, looking up at Picquery. “I’ll tell you about daddy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please leave comments!!!!! they keep me writing! and send me requests and other stuff at irlbyron on tumblr (anonymous is fine if you're nervous!)


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy meets Auntie Queenie!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is just a good n pure filler chapter until the next one which includes actual plot advancement of sorts. please send me requests or anything you want to see in the comments or at irlbyron on tumblr.

After a few days of observation by healers in the hospital, Percival was cleared to leave. Reluctantly, President Picquery agreed to let Percival go, and to temporarily stay with Tina and Newt at the Goldstein’s apartment. Percival didn’t react strongly, but Picquery saw him smiling behind his thumb that he was biting again.

“Percy, are you ok with staying with mummy and Tina?” Newt asked, as Percival sat on the edge of the hospital bed, swinging his legs. 

“Uh huh. I-is it safe there?” Percival asked quietly, fiddling with the edge of the blanket draped across his legs. 

“Of course, sweetheart. There will be aurors and magic protecting the building” Tina said, crouching down to Percival’s eye level. “Me and Queenie are very good witches, and Newt here is an excellent wizard. You’re going to be fine, I promise.” Tina brushed Percival’s bangs out of his eyes again, and smiled kindly at him. 

Tina didn’t like to admit it, but she loved children. The Barebone children were a tragic example of Tina’s inability to remain impartial when children were hurting. When Grindelwald-as-Graves demoted her, she felt it was incredibly unfair as she was only trying to protect the children when she attacked the no-maj mother. Tina refused to look aside when children were hurting, and it didn’t matter that this new child in question used to be her superior. 

Percival nodded, and started biting his thumb again. “Can we go then, mummy?” He asked, looking up at Newt. 

“Of course, dear. Let’s apparate you home then. Would you like to say goodbye to Seraphina first?” Newt offered, gesturing to Madam President. 

Percival nodded and hopped off the bed, staring at the floor nervously. Seraphina gently put her hand on his shoulder, and he stepped forward and buried his face in her neck. Percival was technically taller than her, but given his slumped posture and her heels, she now had a few centimetres on him, and so she was able to cradle his head in her hands. 

“I’ll see you soon, Percy. Don’t worry” Seraphina said, petting his hair. “Be a good boy for Newt, Tina and Queenie, ok?”

“I will! I promise!’ Percival said, hugging Seraphina tight. He still felt very afraid of, well, pretty much everything. He’d spent many hours during his time in hospital hiding under any surface he could find. He still shied away from physical contact from most people, including Newt, but when he himself initiated the contact, Percival was very clingy. “I’ll promise to tell you everything about daddy when I see you.”

“Good boy” Seraphina said fondly, ruffling his hair as he stepped back. 

Percival offered a small smile, and Newt and Tina took one of his arms and disapparated back to her apartment. When they appeared there, Percival whimpered and threw himself into Newt’s arms, hiding his face. 

“Oh dear, that wasn't very nice was it? It’s alright, most people don’t like it the first time” Newt soothed, stroking Percival’s hair gently.

When they broke apart, Tina placed a gentle hand on Percival’s shoulder and guided him towards the living room from just inside the apartment where they’d arrived. “Hey, Percival, would you like to meet Queenie? She’s very excited to say hello to you.”

When Percival had been asleep in the hospital, Tina had apparated back home to explain the situation to Queenie (and unofficially, Jacob. Madam Picquery was fully away of their arrangement, whether she admitted it or not, and Tina felt it necessary to explain to Jacob as well) and make sure their home was safe for little Percy. 

Percival looked nervous, and Tina crouched down a little to meet Percy’s eyes. “It’s alright, Percy. You’re safe here. Queenie just wants to say hello to the nice little boy who’s staying at our apartment.”

Percival went red and smiled a little at the floor. He let Tina lead him into the living room where Queenie was sitting alone on the couch. She’d thought it best to wait to introduce Percival to Jacob, as Tina had mentioned that Percival seemed particularly scared of adult men. 

“Hi sweetie!” She said, waving at Percival from the couch. She patted the space next to here and, after looking at Newt for approval, he went and sat next to her. He pulled his knees up to his chest and glanced over them at Queenie’s gentle face. “It’s lovely to meet you, Percy.”

Percival made a small noise and hid his face in his knees. Newt went and sat next to him, placing a hand on his back. “Hey there. You’re alright. Queenie’s a lovely lady, she’s not going to hurt you. I promise. Daddy can’t get you here.”

Queenie stood up, nodding at Newt, and went over to Tina and hugged her tight. “What did Grindelwald do to him, Teenie? That poor man. That poor boy” She whispered tearily. 

“I know, I know” Tina murmured, hugging her back. “All we can do is look after him until he’s better.”

Queenie nodded, wiping her eyes, and walked back into the living room and sat next to Percival again. He looked up at her cautiously, but didn’t make a move to run or hide. 

“M-mummy says you’re safe. You’re Tina’s sister, he said” Percy said quietly, struggling to maintain eye contact. 

“That’s right, Percy. I’m a friend of your mummy’s as well” Queenie said. “I-I’m Auntie Queenie, if you’d like.”

“Auntie Queenie” Percy repeated, eyes wide and innocent. “Daddy never talked about you.”

“I- I don’t think daddy ever met me” Queenie said, keeping her face a smile but she felt her eyes growing shiny again. “Hey, Percy, would you like me to show you your bedroom?” She said, quickly wiping her eyes. 

Percy gasped, and sat up on the sofa properly, looking between Newt and Queenie. “I get a bedroom? With a bed?” He asked in disbelief. 

Queenie hiccuped, but nodded. “Yes, baby, yes you do. All for you.” After all she’d heard about Percival’s imprisonment, torture, and current state of mind, the fact that he was shocked about getting a bed seemed to break her heart the most. 

Percy looked at Newt with pleading eyes. “Mummy, can I go and see?” He asked, flapping his hands excitedly and bouncing slightly on the sofa. 

“Of course, sweetheart, go with Auntie Queenie and take a look at your bedroom” Newt said, and Percy followed Queenie, nervous but clearly excited at the same time. 

Newt sighed and sat on the sofa, and Tina joined him. She placed a gentle hand on his back, and he smiled sadly at her. Tina returned the gesture, and sighed.

“I can’t believe what that man did to him” She whispered, her voice loud in the relative silence of the apartment. “He- I’m so used to him being this big, imposing wizard. He was so powerful. He used to exude authority and power and to see him like this is just… I’m still expecting to wake up or snap out of it any second now.”

Newt shook his head and took hold of Tina’s hand. “I never knew him before but honestly just seeing what’s been done to him… and to see this broken child in his place is honestly the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever come across in my years of work. And I didn’t even know him, so I can’t imagine how hard this is for you. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, feeling so hurt.”

“Will you take care of him, Newt? I think he trusts you already, and he needs someone to take care of him. Someone who’s gentle and kind” Tina said, looking firmly into Newt’s eyes. 

Newt nodded, returning the eye contact for once. “I know. I want to take care of him, I really do. And I can. I’ll need your help, though.”

“Of course.” Tina nodded and hugged Newt tight. He hugged back, leaning into her neck. “You and Percy are always welcome here, Newt. I know Queenie will love him” she whispered. 

They broke apart just as Queenie came back in, holding Percy’s hand as he shuffled behind her with his thumb in his mouth. When he saw Newt, his eyes lit up and he ran into his arms. 

“Mummy! I got a room all by myself. Auntie Queenie put pretty blankets on the bed and everything!” Percy said excitedly. “And there’s a window! I can see outside, mummy! It’s not all dark!”

Newt held onto the boy happily, turning him so Percy had his back to him, and held him around the waist. Newt had a few centimetres on Percy, so Newt could rest his head on Percival’s as the boy continued to talk about his new room. When Percy settled down a little and went quiet, he turned in Newt’s lap so he was sideways, and hid his face in Newt’s neck. Newt gently stroked Percival’s shoulder and gestured at the room to quiet down amongst themselves. 

“Hey, Percy, would you like something to eat? I bet you’re hungry” Newt said quietly, holding Percy’s head up. 

Percy’s eye widened, and he looked around. “But- but I- I need to give you something! Daddy said I needed to give him something when I wanted food. No food if I didn’t help him” He said quietly. “What do you need me to do?”

Queenie moved closer so she was next to Percy and could stroke his hair. “Baby, you don’t need to do anything for food. Food is something you deserve no matter what. Especially when you’re a little boy. You can have anything you like to eat, honey.”

“I don’t know, Auntie Queenie. Mummy, I can’t decide, what am I allowed?” Percy asked, looking desperately at Newt for assistance. 

“Just make him a sandwich, Queenie. I don’t want to upset his stomach considering he hasn’t eaten in so long” Newt said, nodding at Queenie who returned the gesture and went to the stove and started waving her hand, summoning the ingredients. 

Percy hid his face in Newt’s neck again, sniffling. Newt kissed the top of his head and rocked him gently. “It’s ok, you didn’t do anything wrong. Mummy’s here” Newt murmured. “You’ve been such a good boy for us today! We’re so proud of you, Auntie Tina and I. If Auntie Tina’s ok with it, would you like a cuddle with her?” 

Tina nodded and opened up her arms. Percy looked hesitant but hopped out of Newt’s lap and sat next to Tina. Tina laughed and pulled him onto her lap so he was facing her and his head was tucked under her chin. Percy squeaked when he fell into her lap, but quickly settled down into her warm embrace and nuzzled into her chest. She patted his back, and he hesitantly brought his arms to wrap around her neck. Tina noted how thin and pointed he was; she could feel his ribs, his collarbones, and hipbones as they jutted out and poked her sharply. She only had a limited point of reference to compare his current body shape to; she had once worked a case with Percival Graves and he’d been hit hard by a spell that made him violently collide with her and both collapse on the ground, him on top. At the time he’d felt fairly heavy, despite being shorter than her, and she definitely could not feel his skeleton through layers of clothing like she could now. 

“Shh, there we go” She murmured into his ear. “Auntie Queenie’s making you something lovely to eat and then you can go to bed, alright? Does that sound good?”

Percy nodded. “Uh huh. Are you going to leave?” He asked, hiding his face in Tina's neck.

“Of course not, hon. Why do you think that?” Tina asked, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. 

“Daddy always leaves. Night-time and day-time. He says he won’t leave again but then he goes away” Percy mumbled, clinging tightly onto Tina. 

“That was very bad of your daddy. I promise we will never leave you. You’re our little guy now, and we’re going to take such good care of you” Tina said firmly, cupping Percy’s face and gently stroking his cheek with the pad of her thumb. 

Percy’s lip quivered and his eyes filled with tears again. “Promise?” He whispered. 

“I promise, baby” Tina said, sitting up and hugging him tightly, her hand firm on the back of his neck. “Now, I think Auntie Queenie’s finished your food, so let’s get you at the table and get some food in you.”

Tina helped Percy to his feet and led him to the table. He looked quizzically at her. “You-you want me to sit at the table?” He asked, tilting his head. 

“Of course, where else would you sit, sweetie?” Tina asked, frowning.

Percy pointed at the floor next to the chair. “Daddy sits there.” He pointed at the chair. 

Tina clenched her jaw angrily, and shook her head. “That’s another thing daddy shouldn’t have done. You’re perfectly allowed to sit at the table; that’s where you should sit to eat. Come on, sit down and I’ll get your food.”

Tina floated the sandwich over and sat it in front of Percival. He looked at Tina for permission, and when she nodded, he immediately started wolfing the sandwich down. He barely breathed between bites, and Tina and Newt, who’d since joined them, had to pat him on the back when he started coughing. 

“Slow down, sweetheart, I won’t have you choking” Newt hushed. 

Percy obeyed immediately, slowing down and chewing at a much safer pace. When he finished, Newt scourgified the plate and sent it back to Queenie who set it back in the cupboard. Newt helped him up and Percival yawned hard, and hid his face in Newt’s chest. 

“‘M tired, Mummy. Can I go to bed?” Percy mumbled. 

“Of course dear, let’s get you into bed. Say night-night to Auntie Tina and Auntie Queenie” Newt said.

Percy shyly wandered up to Queenie and gave her a tentative hug, which she returned enthusiastically. Tina did the same, kissing the top of his head and ruffling his hair. 

“Good night, Percy” The two sisters chorused. 

Newt waved, and walked Percy into his bedroom and sat him on his bed. “Would you like me to help you put your pjs on, sweetheart, or would you like me to wait outside?” Newt asked. 

“Help me, mummy? I- daddy didn’t give me pajamas. I just slept in the underwear he gave me. It was cold” Percy mumbled. 

“Of course I’ll help you. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to get undressed with me here. Come on, let’s get those old clothes off and put some nice warm pjs on” Newt said, and summoned the pajamas out of the wardrobe. 

Percy attempted to struggle out of his shirt, fiddling with the buttons, but couldn’t seem to undo them. He hit the mattress in frustration, and Newt gently took hold of both his hands.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok” Newt hushed. “Here, let me help.”

Newt carefully unbuttoned Percy’s shirt and slipped it off him. Percy immediately started shivering and Newt quickly slipped a warm undershirt over him, followed by a thick jumper with sleeves that flopped over his hands. Percy, with Newt’s assistance as Percy’s balance was fairly poor due to malnutrition and minor muscle atrophy, then pulled off his trousers and underwear and replaced them with some thick woollen pajama pants. 

“Good boy, you’ve done so well. Such a good boy” Newt praised, and charmed Percy’s old clothes into the wardrobe. 

Percy’s eye lit up and he threw his arms around Newt’s neck. “Thank you mummy!” He said, his voice muffled from being hidden in Newt’s chest. 

Newt laughed and kissed Percy’s temple affectionately. He then pulled back and helped Percy crawl into bed. Percy snuggled down into the blankets, pulling them up to his chin. Newt sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked Percy’s hair as the boy closed his eyes and curled into a warm ball. 

“Good night, baby boy. We’re going to see Ms Picquery tomorrow and you’re going to be so brave, I know you are” Newt whispered. 

“I love you, mummy” Percy mumbled, and his breathing began to even out as he dropped off to sleep. 

Newt was frozen in surprise, but continued his gentle movements and moved down and kissed Percy’s forehead. “I love you too, sweetheart.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, please leave comments with any suggestions, requests, or anything you want to see or ask me at irlbyron! i love requests and i'll probably do anything u ask. next chapter's a long-un, but it should be up soon.


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy struggles through his interview with Picquery at MACUSA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey lads this chapter's a big-un. warnings for allusions to csa in this chapter, but none depicted or described. Also for physical abuse and neglect. I don't know if it counts as child abuse, but bear in mind Percy has age regression as a result of Grindelwald’s conditioning so in his own eyes he is a child.

Newt fell asleep on the sofa with one arm draped over his eyes and the other dangling off the sofa. He’d left Percy about 15 minutes after the boy had fallen asleep, and collapsed on the sofa with Queenie and Tina and the three of them talked about work, both Tina’s and Newt’s, and of course Percy. Newt was discussing his placement in New York, particularly his apartment, and how Percy would be living there. Newt had put any immediate plans to leave the country on hold in order to help Percy, who Newt had almost adopted as his own ‘creature’. 

As a rule, Newt did not like people. People didn’t like him, and Newt was only to happy to return the favour. Even Theseus, who loved Newt to hell and back, had to admit Newt could be a bit of an arse. The man held very little regard for anything that wasn’t within his ‘sphere of interest’, and Newt often acted almost ‘cold’ towards most people if they weren’t going to assist him in anyway. Newt was teasing, like when he threw the Swooping Evil at Jacob as a joke. 

Despite all this, Newt was kind. When he found someone or something to care about, he threw himself in wholeheartedly. His attempts to save Credence from the subway tunnel was a fine example of Newt willing to sacrifice something in order to save an innocent life. Percival was also an example of Newt’s caring nature. His decision to take care of Percival was instant and concrete; Newt wanted to help this boy and help him heal. And now, Newt had to make arrangements to take care of Percival. Newt’s temporary apartment already had an undetectable extension charm on it so he could have multiple places to keep his creatures if they wanted out, as well as extra study space and extra bedrooms, all without paying extra for a large apartment. So it was relatively easy for Newt to accommodate Percy. 

When Newt woke up, the apartment was silent, and his first instinct was to check on Percy. He wasn’t sure what time Grindelwald had been waking the boy up but he assumed it was relatively early, and that Percy would be awake by now. As Newt gently pushed open Percy’s door, sure enough Percy was sitting on his bed in the corner with his knees pulled up to his chest. 

“Good morning, love, how are you?” Newt said, sitting on the bed and smiling at Percy. Percy squirmed uncomfortably, and shrugged. Newt frowned, and moved a little closer so he could observe Percy better. “What’s wrong? Is something hurting?” 

“Need potty. Can I go?” Percy mumbled, turning bright red and hiding his face in his knees. 

“Of course, sweetie! You don’t have to ask, let me take you” Newt said, lifting Percy off the bed and walking him to the bathroom. 

Percy nodded and ran into the bathroom when Newt opened the door. He neglected to close the door behind him, so Newt closed it and waited for the boy to come back out. When Percy came back out, Newt led him back to the bedroom to get dressed. 

“You don’t have to ask to go the potty, Percy. If you need to go, you can go” Newt explained, sitting Percy on the bed and crouching down. 

“Daddy would make me wait” Percy mumbled. “I wasn’t allowed to go unless he said. I’m sorry, mummy.”

“It’s ok, sweetie. It’s not your fault, daddy shouldn’t have made you wait. You can go whenever you like. Now, let’s get you dressed for today. I think you should look nice for Ms Picquery, don’t you?” Newt said, ruffling Percy’s hair and gaining a smile in return. He wouldn’t admit it, especially not to Percy, but this kind of caretaking (dressing, feeding, even taking him to the bathroom) gave Newt a kind of warm and fuzzy feeling, very similar to when he took care of his baby creatures. 

Percy nodded and sat on the edge of the bed and swung his legs as Newt waved his wand and summoned Percy a pair of trousers, and a shirt, as well as clean underwear and socks. 

“Would you like me to help?” Newt asked, and Percy nodded forcefully. Newt stood Percy up and helped Percy pull down his pajama pants. Percy held onto Newt’s shoulders to avoid falling over and Newt managed to pull on Percy’s underwear and the trousers. “Good boy, there we are. Now let’s get your shirt on.”

Newt pulled off Percy’s pajama shirt, and in the daylight, he caught sight of the cuts, bruises, and scars that marred Percy’s chest. He stopped, and looked over the emaciated chest of the little boy he’d adopted as his own. “Do-do these hurt, Percy? Mummy can help if they hurt” Newt said quietly. 

Percy rubbed his eye and shrugged. “Hurts a little bit. The one there.” He pointed at a deep bruise on his tummy, and Newt nodded.

“Oh, your poor thing. Alright, sweetheart, just give me a second” Newt said, and whispered a spell over the bruise. It faded slightly and Percy sighed a little in relief as the pain lessened. 

“Thank you, mummy. Doesn’t hurt now” Percy said quietly. 

Newt nodded and helped Percy maneuver his arms in the shirt and buttoned it for him. He buttoned the end of the sleeves and straightened the shirt and stood back. “What a handsome young man!” Newt declared, and ruffled Percy’s hair lovingly. Percy giggled, and Newt sat him down to put his socks on. When they were at eye level, Newt gently cupped Percy’s face and looked him deep in the eyes. “You are being so brave, you know that? I’m so proud of you, Percy. You’re being such a good boy, and I’m very proud that you’re going to tell Seraphina what happened. Mummy is going to be there the whole time and you’re going to be completely safe, I promise.”

Percy threw his arms around Newt’s neck and nuzzled close. “I love you, mummy” He mumbled. “I wanna make- make sure d-daddy doesn’t get in trouble.”

“Oh, you’re such a brave boy” Newt said, hugging Percy tight and fiercely. “I’m so proud. I love you too. Come on, let’s get you some breakfast. Growing boys need their food, don’t they?”

Newt led Percy into the kitchen, where Queenie and Tina were already up and drinking coffee. Queenie’s eye lit up and she waved at Percy from the chair she was sat in. “Good morning, sweetie! How did you sleep?”

Percy went red and starting biting his thumb. “Good, Auntie Queenie” He mumbled in reply, still shy. 

Newt smiled fondly, and sat him down at the kitchen table, and took his place adjacent to Percy. He quickly summoned some bread and jam, and placed them in front of Percy for him to pick as he wanted. Percy nervously took a slice of bread and started eating it quickly, as though he feared someone might take it which, all things considered, he probably did.

The foursome finished breakfast within half an hour, and it was then they started preparing to apparate to MACUSA. MACUSA was charmed so you could not apparate within its walls, so they’d have to apparate into the alleyway and walk through the building to an interrogation room where Percival would tell Seraphina everything Grindelwald had done, possibly under the influence of veritaserum or with a legilimens present. Newt was pro-legilimens as he did not know what affect veritaserum would have on Percival’s headspace, and he didn’t think Percival would drink anything they gave him. 

Newt wrapped Percival in a coat and took his head in his hands again. “Ok, Percy. We’re going to apparate just outside and then quickly walk you through to Seraphina, alright? Can you do it?”

Percy nodded, clenching his jaw. “I-I can do it! I’ll be good.”

Newt kissed his forehead and then took his arm. “That’s my boy, Percy.” He nodded at Tina and Queenie, and all three of them disappeared. 

/

/

/

When they reappeared in the alley, Newt quickly assessed the scene for danger or any other MACUSA employees. When he found it clear, he pressed another kissed to Percival’s forehead and took his hands.

“Ok, dear, I know you’re going to do so well. We won’t let anyone talk to you or hurt you, I promise” Newt said, and he placed a hand on Percival’s back and led him to the entrance of the building. 

Percy was biting his thumb again as he was led into the MACUSA building and throw the hallways and up the stairs. People were staring, as expected, but Newt glared at them and firmly steered Percival towards the back to the magical security division, where Percival once worked. When they entered the magical security division, Newt felt the whole atmosphere change. It was quiet and the air was still, in comparison to the hustle and bustle and loud volume of the other departments. The aurors at their desks or standing in groups stared at Percival, Newt, and Queenie as they made their way to President Picquery’s desk. They were so close to the office when they were cut off by a familiar face. 

“Graves?” It was Abernathy. He looked sick with guilt, and avoided looking Percival in the eyes. 

Percival tilted his head and squinted. He then glanced at Newt as if expecting an explanation of who the man in front of them was. Tina helpfully stepped in, and pulled Abernathy aside. 

“Abernathy, we can’t stop to talk. I’ll talk to you another time, or maybe Picquery will, but you need to let us past” She said firmly. 

Abernathy nodded mutely, and let the four of them pass. Newt nodded at Tina gratefully, and she returned the gesture. Percival looked up at Newt in confusion, glancing back at Abernathy. 

“Mummy, who was that man?” He asked. 

“He- he works with Auntie Tina, Percy. He was just worried because he hasn’t seen Auntie Tina in a few days” Newt said, trying to neither lie nor confuse Percival. 

Percival nodded, and with that the foursome had reached Picquery’s office. Tina knocked a few times, and the door opened instantly. Picquery was sat at her desk and looked up when the foursome entered her office. Percy waved shyly, and Picquery smiled at him. 

“Hello, Percy. I’m so glad you came today” She said, standing up and ruffling his hair. 

Percy smiled. “I promised mummy I’d tell you everything” He said, and Newt smiled proudly. 

“He did, he’s a very brave boy” Newt said. 

“Ok, let’s get you set up in a room and then you can tell me everything Gri- daddy did” Seraphina said. She led Percival out of her office, past the aurors bullpen again (glaring down the staring aurors), and into an interrogation room. Tina, Queenie, and Newt all followed, but Seraphina stopped them as they tried to follow into the room. “I’m sorry, you can’t come in. I’ll let him take a break to come and see you again, but you can’t be in there.”

Newt nodded, biting his lip. “Tell him we’re all very proud and he’s going to be ok.”

Seraphina nodded, and entered the room and closed the door behind her. Newt, Queenie, and Tina watched through the one-way mirror, all visibly nervous in one way or another. 

Seraphina closed the door and turned to Percival where he was sat in his chair. She kneeled in front of him and took his hands. “Ok, Percy, I’m going to tell you what’s happening. I’m going to sit opposite you and ask you some questions. I’m also going to bring in another auror who will make sure you’re telling the truth. They won’t talk to you, they’ll just stand behind me. Do you understand?” 

Percy nodded, jiggling his leg nervously. “I understand. I-is mummy outside?” He whispered. 

“He is, and he says he’s very proud of you, and so are Auntie Queenie and Auntie Tina” Seraphina said, smiling. 

Percy nodded, and started biting his thumb again. “Daddy doesn’t know I’m here, does he?” He whispered, glancing around the room fearfully. 

“No, daddy has no idea. You safe from daddy, I promise you” Seraphina said. “Are you ready to start. I’m going to let the auror come in now.”

Percy nodded. “‘M ready, Ms Picquery. I’ll be good.”

Picquery nodded, and sat down in the chair opposite Percy. She waved the door open and a auror entered, a skilled legilimens who’d been working with Picquery for 5 years. He glanced curiously at Percival, whom he no doubt recognised, but took his place next to Picquery. 

Picquery conjured some parchment that would write down everything said in the room, and cleared her throat. “This begins the interrogation of Percival Graves, after his rescue from his apartment where he has been imprisoned for an unknown length of time. Can you state your name?” She asked, looking kindly at Percival. 

“P-Percival Graves” Percy stuttered. 

She briefly paused while the legilimens nodded at her, and then continued. “Auror Importa confirms Percival Graves is telling the truth. Now, Percival, can you confirm the identity of the man who took you.” Seraphina removed a photo from her pocket and placed it on the table, sliding it towards Percy. “I placed a photo of Gellert Grindelwald on the table in front of Percival.”

Percival looked at the photo and immediately drew his knees up to his chest, his feet placed precariously on the edge of the chair. “That- that’s daddy” He whimpered. 

Seraphina swallowed. “Mr Graves confirmed the identity of Gellert Grindelwald” She said. Auror Importa flinched slightly after peering into Percival’s mind, but nodded at Seraphina. “Auror Importa concurs. Now, Percival, I’d like you to tell me everything you can remember, starting with how long you were with Grindelwald with.”

Percival chewed on his lip. “I- I don’t know. Daddy wouldn’t let me go outside to see. But- but when daddy first got me it was snowing outside. And now it’s not.”

Seraphina nodded. “Percival has indicated that he was with Grindelwald for approximately 3 months, with his disappearance occurring between December and January, as they were the only months it snowed. Thank you, Percival, you’re doing very well. So, Percival, can you tell me about your time with Grindelwald. Tell me everything from the beginning.”

Percival nodded. “Uh, I- I don’t remember how daddy got me” He mumbled. “I remember waking up in the room he kept me in. He- he said I lived with him now. I don’t really remember much else. He- he pointed a thing at me, like that.” He pointed at Seraphina’s wand, which she noted. “And some light came out and I fell asleep. Then I woke up again, but it was cold.”

Seraphina swallowed and bit her lip. The legilimens nodded at her to confirm his story, and she gestured for him to continue. 

“Daddy- he said I was his little boy and he’d take good care of me. As long as I was good and I’d help him” Percival said, and Seraphina nearly flinched as the words appeared on the parchment in front of her. “He let me have some water and then he went away again.”

Seraphina nodded, and the legilimens confirmed his story, and she cleared her throat. “Ok, now I need you to tell me all the questions he asked you. And the answers you gave him.”

Percy tilted his head in confusion. “Daddy- daddy didn’t really ask me much stuff. Sometimes he’d bring his stick to my head and pull something shiny out. It hurt a lot. But it meant I was being good, he always let me have something to drink or eat afterwards.”

Seraphina frowned. “Graves indicated that his memories were forcibly extracted by Grindelwald and he did not volunteer any information.” The words appeared on the parchment and it was noted that Auror Importa corroborated Percival’s story. 

Percy started fiddling with his nails nervously and fidgeted in his seat. Seraphina noted this, and leant forward. “Percival, what’s wrong? What are you not telling me?” 

“Sometimes daddy couldn’t find what he was looking for. I said I was sorry but he got really mad and would hit me. Then he wouldn’t give me anything to eat and wouldn’t let me go to the potty. Or he’d point his stick at me and it would really hurt” Percy whimpered, and his eyes filled with tears. “He’s gonna do it again! He told me I needed to keep it a secret because he was trying to protect magic people. Don’t tell him I told you, I’m sorry!”

“Shh, Percival, it’s ok. He can’t hurt you ever again. You’re safe here” Seraphina soothed. She nodded at the legilimens, and he briefly calmed Percival’s mind. “You’re ok.”

Percival kept his knees drawn up but he stopped crying. “Daddy- daddy said he needed what was in my head to help wizards. Daddy said that non-magic people would want to hurt me cause I had magic, so he was protecting me.”

“Percival, I need you to understand he was lying. Yes, it’s true, non-magic people are scared of us sometimes, but what he did to you was wrong. Da- Grindelwald was not allowed to take anything out of your head. He was not protecting you. Now, I need to ask you about your life with Grindelwald. How did he treat you?” Seraphina asked, dreading the answer she’d receive from her traumatized friend. 

“Daddy was very good to me” Percy mumbled. “He said if I helped him I’d be honored among wizards forever.”

“Wh- did he feed you and let you wear clothes?” Seraphina asked, biting her lip and gesturing to the legilimens, who briefly peeked into Percy’s mind and confirmed what he was saying. 

“Sometimes he gave me a jumper when it was really cold. I got underwear as well. That was it, but I didn’t mind. It didn’t get too bad, I only got blue once. Daddy said it wouldn’t happen again, that’s when he gave me the jumper” Percy said, his eyes bright as he recalled the memory. “A-and he’d let me eat a lot. I got bread sometimes and it was two slices!”

Seraphina nodded, trying to stop tears falling down her face. The fact that Percival was seeing this treatment as kindness, and that Percival seemed to miss Grindelwald, was killing her. The guilt was overwhelming, and she could see Auror Importa was struggling to maintain his composure as well. And it wasn’t over. She had a line of questioning she was dreading but knew she had to go down. 

“Percival, did daddy- Grindelwald ever touch you in places you didn’t like?” She asked, her voice wobbling slightly. 

Percival shook his head. “Nuh uh. I mean, sometimes he hit me and I didn’t like that cause it really hurt.”

“Um, Percival, I mean… did he ever touch between your legs or anything like that” Seraphina urged. 

“Never” Percival replied, shaking his head vigorously. “Daddy said he would never touch me like that. And he’d never let anyone else touch me.”

Seraphina glanced at the legilimens. It wouldn’t be the first time a child had lied about being abused that way. The legilimens nodded though; Percival was telling the truth. Seraphina sighed in relief, and turned back to Percival. “Ok, thank you Percival. W-was daddy ever nice to you? Did he say nice things at all?” 

Percival brightened up a little. “All the time! W-when he got what he wanted from my head, he’d play with my hair!” He ruffled his hair to demonstrate to Seraphina. “And sometimes he’d take me into one of his nice rooms where it was warm and he’d let me sit on the floor near his feet. And he’d stroke my head. I was his good boy, I was his special boy! Daddy said I’d always be his special boy. And he’d never leave me” Percival’s face fell and he looked at Seraphina. “Will I ever see daddy again? I don’t know where he is…”

Seraphina bit her lip, in a conundrum. She could tell Percy where Grindelwald was, but she wasn’t sure if it would help or hinder him. “Well, Percy… your daddy’s in prison right now. He broke some laws so the aurors are in charge of making sure he doesn’t do it again.”

“Daddy’s in prison?” Percival asked, his eyes wide. “But- but he…”

“I’m sorry, Percival, but he can’t hurt you anymore. I promise. You’re safe from him” Seraphina said. “You don’t have to be scared of him anymore.”   


Percival’s mind spun and he could hear Seraphina calling his name. He shook his head over and over and bolted off the chair and slammed his back into the wall in the corner of the room. He heard the door slam open and he flinched at the sound. He felt hands grasping his forearms and he whimpered and tried to move away. 

“Percy, Percy, it’s ok. Look, it’s mummy, hey, mummy’s here.” Newt’s soothing voice cut through the fog of Percival’s mind, and the boy was able to open his eyes. 

“Mummy?” He whimpered. Newt’s gentle face stared back and Percy felt tears fall down his face. 

“That’s right, sweetheart, it’s ok. Mummy’s here” Newt whispered, gently stroking Percy’s hands with his thumbs. Percy felt into Newt’s arms, holding onto him tight and burying himself in Newt’s chest. Newt held him in return, stroking his back and whispering into his ears. “It’s ok, I know, I know. You’re ok, baby. Mummy’s got you.”

Seraphina watched from the other corner of the room, her hand across her mouth and tears in her eyes. It was completely alien to her, to see the man she respected and even admired growing up now a scared child being comforted by a civilian. The legilimens stood beside her, in a similar state.

“Madam President, I don’t know how much use I can be. Grindelwald’s magic shattered his mind. In addition, the months of captivity and manipulation left Graves with no other choice but to regress into the mind of a child,” Auror Importa whispered. “It-it seems to be both a learned behaviour induced by Grindelwald, and a coping mechanism. It’s very deeply ingrained in him.”

Percival’s crying had slowed down and he could pull back from Newt. “‘m sorry, mummy. I wanted to be good and tell Ms Picquery everything. But I didn’t want to be bad! I’m sorry.”

“Shh, sweetheart, it’s ok. You’ve done so well. You told Ms Picquery so much! I’m so proud of you, darling” Newt soothed, holding Percy’s head gently. “Mummy’s so proud. It’s ok baby, you did your best.”

Percy hid his face in Newt’s neck and let himself be comforted by the kind magizoologist. It took some time but eventually Percival was able to sit back on the chair opposite Picquery. He rubbed his eyes, face burning with shame. 

“I’m sorry, Ms Picquery” He mumbled. 

Picquery’s heart broke a little, and she reached over and squeezed one of his hands softly. “It’s ok, Percy. I don’t expect you to find this easy. You know, I think you’ve answered enough questions for today. You can go home if you like?”

Percy nodded. “I wanna go home with mummy” He said, staring down at the table, staunchly avoiding eye contact. 

“Of course. Let’s get you out of here” Picquery said, and stood up, dismissing Auror Importa, and taking Percy out of the room back to Newt, Tina, and Queenie. 

“Hello, honey” Queenie said, pulling Percy into a gentle hug. “You did so well! What a brave little guy!” She said cheerily. 

Percy smiled softly, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Thank you, Auntie Queenie. Can we go home now?” 

“Of course, honey, We need to go back a different way, but it’s ok, we’ll be out in 30 seconds” Tina said. 

Newt took Percy’s arm as they bid farewell to Picquery. Tina led them further into the building and down a hallway towards the cells of MACUSA. It was an unfortunate fact, but if they wanted to get out of the building without anyone seeing them, they needed to go via the cells. According to the aurors though, no one was being held there at present moment. 

Which is why Newt’s heart stopped when they entered the area that held the cells and he caught sight of Grindelwald sitting in a cell guarded by three aurors. White hair. Pale skin. A sneer. Unmistakeable. 

Percival locked eyes with Grindelwald and stopped. He made a small noise of surprise, and broke away from Newt to move towards the cell holding Grindelwald. “D-daddy?” He whimpered. 

Grindelwald smirked, at Newt, and then smiled gently at Percival. “Hello baby boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HA HA surprise. so please send me requests at irlbyron, i need some more ideas for plot points later on in this story. please leave comments as well <3 also i hope my characterisation is alright, i feel like in the movie Seraphina didn't really get enough character exploration or development (same as Graves really) so her personality is largely-headcanon based because I love her and want to see more of her in fandom works.


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No summary we read like men (or, Percy gets hurt and then he gets comfort in the form of a bath and a niffler). no warnings except grindelwald being evil and awful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes/disclaimer/explanation/need to up the word count: Right now, post-Grindelwald, MACUSA is a McFucking mess and organisation is at an all time low. Memos that are supposed to get places never arrive, hence Grindelwald being in a cell when he’s supposed to be somewhere else. Also, I have no idea about the layout of the MACUSA building and neither do u so unless architectural plans are ever released it will remain a mystery. Granted these are mainly excuses for not really thinking too hard about it, but it’s not wrong. Anyway, enjoy and send me requests and plot points because I’m at an ideas block. Also I have thought disorder and adhd so nothing i've ever said or written in the history of my life has ever made sense so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ hence the quality of the writing going down significantly im nothing if not self aware

Newt growled, and took Percival’s arm, trying to hold him back. Tina whipped around and pointed her wand at the three aurors. 

"What's he doing here?" Tina snapped at the aurors. "He's supposed to be in solitary confinement, did you not get the memo?"

The aurors shook their heads. "Goldstein, it's been chaos around here! We were never told to move him, we weren't told anything, just keep guarding him in his usual cell!"

Newt gripped tighter on Percy's arm, but Percy shrugged him off, and moved closer, as close as he could get before the aurors (and Tina) blocked his path. His eyes were full of tears, on the cusp of crying. Grindelwald saw this and rose from his seat, getting close to the bars. The aurors and Tina raised their wands at Grindelwald as well, but Percy waved them away in a newly uncharacteristic display of self-assertiveness. The aurors hesitantly lowered their wands in response to their former boss’ order, and stepped aside. Percy then rushed to the bars and held onto them, and Grindelwald stood close to him on the other side, but not touching. The bars were programmed to stun him if he touched them.

“Hello, dearest” Grindelwald purred. “Have you been a good boy for me? You know daddy doesn’t like it when his boy is bad.”

Percival nodded forcefully. “I have, daddy, I promise. I haven’t done anything bad.” His voice shook and he looked so eager to please Grindelwald.

“My good boy” Grindelwald murmured, and gently reached out to pet Percy’s face. 

Newt growled and stepped up to the cage. “Don’t lay a finger on him, Gellert” He snarled. 

Grindelwald smirked, drew his hand away and gestured at Percy to step back. “Ah, Mr Scamander. I take it you’re the one taking care of my little boy” He said. “Has he been treating you well, Percy?” He asked, turning back to Percy. 

Percy nodded vigorously. “Yes, daddy. N-not as good as you, daddy, though, never as good as you” Percy said, hurrying the last sentence desperately. 

Newt glared, and raised his wand threateningly. “I’m the one trying to undo the damage you did to him. You took away his life, Grindelwald" Newt growled through gritted teeth.

“I did no such thing. I made him so sweet and innocent, Mr Scamander. You remember how he was before? I played his part perfectly, not a single person noticed. You think that wasn’t by design? I knew the man in and out, knew his character perfectly. That’s how not even the president of MACUSA noticed her right hand man was missing. Isn’t he nicer than that man I performed?” Grindelwald said. “He’s such a nice boy now. So good for his daddy.” Grindelwald gently stroked Percy’s face and the boy clenched his jaw nervously. “Ah, you’re lovely and soft, still, my boy. I see my magic is working.” Gellert grinned at Newt. “He’ll stay nice and soft for you, you know. Won’t grow a beard, of course, little boys don’t get those, do they Percy?”

Percival shook his head, and leant his head between the bars, closer to Grindelwald. “Daddy… they said you broke the law. That’s why they put you in prison. Is it my fault?” Percy asked, his lip quivering and tears spilling out of his eyes. 

“Hush, my darling boy. You did nothing wrong. It’s ok, daddy won’t be in here long. And when he’s out, daddy’s coming to get you” Grindelwald whispered, and that was the last straw for Newt. He pulled Percival away from the cage, and cast a stunning spell at Grindelwald. 

“You stay away from him, Grindelwald. You won’t hurt him again” Newt snapped. Tina and Queenie nodded in agreement, and Queenie took Percival’s hand and led him away from Grindelwald. 

“I’m sorry, daddy” Percival cried out as he was led away in tears.

“It’s ok, sweetheart. Daddy won’t be gone long” Grindelwald replied, laughing at the looks of rage on Newt and Tina's faces. “Oh, Mr Scamander. You’ve become attached to my little boy, haven’t you? Not a surprise, he’s very sweet and eager to please. A bit shy, though. But I bet he loves you, with your magical creatures and your lovely accent. Reminds him of his daddy, I expect.” He smirked at Newt. “I know you’re not his new daddy, though, no. You’d never take my title and little Percy would never betray me.”

Newt snarled and went to throw himself at Grindelwald and hex him to hell and back, but the three aurors pushed him away. Newt glared once more, and turned around, stalking away and following Tina down the hallway. 

“I want to kill him, Tina. Don’t let me” He snapped. “That bastard.” 

Tina nodded. “You’ll have to beat me to it” She replied, gripping her wand tightly. 

They caught up with Queenie and Percival, who were sitting on a bench that sat outside the corridor into the cells. Percy was nuzzled into Queenie’s chest, and she was stroking his hair and whispering to him. She met Tina’s eyes and shook her head softly, and turned back to Percival, continuing to whisper to him. Newt sat down on the other side of Percival, and the boy looked up from Queenie. His eyes were very red and there were tear streaks running down his face. Newt’s heart cracked a little more, and he took Percy’s hand. 

“Percy, I am so sorry that happened. Daddy shouldn’t have been there, Tina’s going to make sure that doesn’t happen again” Newt said, biting his lip and squeezing Percy’s hand. 

Percy shifted on the bench and hid his face in Newt’s neck. “I love you, mummy” He mumbled, closing his eyes and letting Newt hold him. 

Newt hiccuped and a few tears dripped from his eyes. He pulled Percy into his arms and held onto him tight. “I love you too, sweetie” Newt choked, kissing Percy’s head. 

Newt sniffled again and Percy looked up from Newt’s neck. “D-don’t cry, mummy. I’m sorry, don’t cry” He said desperately. 

“Shh, baby, it’s not your fault” Newt said, kissing Percy’s forehead and rocking him gently. “It’s not your fault, Percy."

“Y-you’re not mad?” Percy asked, tears filling his eyes again.

Newt gently brushed Percy’s tears away, and shook his head. “Of course not, I could never be angry at you” Newt assured him. “I’m just angry at your daddy; he didn’t treat you very well and I’m going to do my best to give you a much better life than you would have gotten with him” He continued passionately, a fire burning in his eyes. 

Percy just dropped his head on Newt’s neck again. “I wanna go home, mummy” He mumbled. 

“Of course. Let’s get you home, we just need to step outside and we can get home. Can you get up for me?” Newt said, lifting Percy to his feet. 

Percy nodded but stayed clinging to Newt. Queenie and Tina stood close by as the four of them walked into the alleyway behind MACUSA, and disappeared with a crack. 

/

/

/

The first thing Newt did when they arrived back at the Goldstein’s Apartment was offer him a bath. Percy was still filthy from his imprisonment, and the poor boy was clearly very stressed out and starting to smell musty, so Newt decided that a bath was in order.

“Daddy- daddy never gave me a bath” Percival mumbled, when Newt offered the bath. “Sometimes if I got to dirty he used magic to make me clean.”

Newt shook his head. “Well, baths are super nice and they can stop any aches and pains you’ve got, so if you wouldn’t mind, could I bathe you, Percy?” Newt asked carefully and made sure he wasn’t pressuring Percy. 

The boy seemed to have become more comfortable in the last few days but after their encounter with Grindelwald, Newt feared Percy might lose progress and stop trusting him and the Goldsteins. Newt didn’t want to undo that trust by pushing Percival to do something he didn’t understand or didn’t want to do. 

Percy nodded shyly. “Uh huh. J-just you though, mummy?” He asked nervously, briefly glancing at Queenie and Tina then turning away and going red. 

Both women smiled indulgently, and Queenie ruffled Percy’s hair. “Yes honey, just you two. My bathroom is very special; I used magic to make it nice and big. You deserve it, sweetie. You have a lovely time with your mama now” She said, waving Newt and Percy off into the direction of the bathroom. 

Percy followed Newt to the bathroom, a small door that looked like it would only lead into a closet. Upon opening it however, the bathroom was a good, large size with a bathtub, a shower, a toilet, and a pair of ornate sinks. It was white and clean, light shining off every surface. 

Newt closed the door behind the two of them and turned to Percy, who stood gazing in wonder at the beautiful room around them. Newt tapped Percy’s shoulder to get his attention and the boy turned. “Percy, do you need the potty?” Newt asked gently. 

Percy went a deep red and shifted uncomfortably. “Uh huh. Am I allowed?” He asked quietly.

“Of course you are, sweetie. You go potty while I get you a towel and some pajamas, alright? I’ll be right back” Newt said, and closed the door behind him as he left to retrieve Percy’s pajamas from his bedroom. 

As he turned around, Newt smacked into Queenie sending them both jolting backwards. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry” Queenie laughed, patting Newt’s head. “And the towels are in the cupboard in Percy’s room.”

“No, I’m sorry, Queenie” Newt replied instantly. “Ah, and thank you!”

“How is our little guy, Newt?” Queenie asked, her voice quieter and more serious. 

Newt sighed and shook his head. “He-he thinks he has to ask if he’s allowed to go to the potty” Newt whispered, his eyes welling up. “Grindelwald wouldn’t let him go.”

Queenie brought a hand to her mouth and her eyes also filled with tears. “Oh God, that poor boy! I don’t understand how he can still feel attached to that man, Newt!”

“It’s very complicated. Grindelwald conditioned this behaviour into him, and his treatment of Percy was wildly contradictory which means Percy has no idea what to expect from anyone. He thinks he has to be loyal and good and then people won’t hurt him” Newt explained, gesturing towards the bathroom. “Sorry, I don’t want to be gone long. I’m going to get his stuff.”

“Of course. Take good care of him, Newt. He loves you” Queenie said, walking back into the living room. 

Newt gathered Percy’s pajamas and towels from the wardrobe, and entered the bathroom again. Percy was standing near the toilet, shoulders hunched, and sucking his thumb. The instant he saw Newt, he pulled his thumb out of his mouth and crossed his arms nervously. “Sorry” He mumbled. “Daddy told me not to do that.”

“It’s ok, I don’t mind. If it makes you feel better then you can suck your thumb, sweetheart” Newt cooed, brushing Percival’s hair away from his eyes. “Mummy doesn’t mind. Now, did you go potty while I was gone?” 

“Uh huh. Bath now?” Percy asked, his thumb hovering near his mouth again. 

Newt nodded, and placed the towel and pajamas on the toilet seat. He then waved his wand and charmed the bath to fill at the perfect temperature. “Ok, love, can you undress for me? I won’t look if you don’t want me to, just get in the bath when you’re done” Newt said. 

Percy blushed a little. He started fiddling with the buttons on his shirt as Newt started to turn away. “Mu-mummy, I can’t-” He mumbled. 

Newt turned back and tutted sympathetically. “You’re alright, lovely, let mummy do it” He said, and carefully unbuttoned the shirt and slipped it off Percy, who hugged Newt gratefully. 

Percy undressed the rest of the way while Newt turned away, and got in the bath, drawing his knees up to his chest again. Newt turned back and kneeled down outside the bath and gently ruffled Percy’s hair, trying to keep him calm and comfortable in this unfamiliar environment. Percy leaned into the touch, untensing his shoulders but still clutching onto his knees. Newt smiled at the subtle Percy’s change in body language, and conjured a washcloth with soap.

“Ok Percy, can I wash your face? You can say no anytime you want if you don’t want me to touch you somewhere, alright?” Newt said, making sure Percy understood. Percy nodded shyly and Newt gently started washing Percy’s dirt-ridden face. “Ah, there we go! Nice and clean!” 

Newt had bathed creatures before, when they were injured, and it was always a delicate and gentle process. With Percy, it was also a trust exercise. Newt had was in the process of gaining Percy’s trust, and like with a skittish creature, all this progress could be shattered at any second by something Newt wouldn’t even think about, like touching him somewhere or saying a single word. 

“Ok, Percy, I’m going to wash your neck now” Newt said, gently moving the washcloth lower down and cleaning the grime off Percy’s neck. As Newt removed the dirt, he uncovered a fading pink bruise in the shape of a handprint around Percy’s neck. Newt gasped softly and traced over it with his finger tips. “Percy, did daddy do this?” He asked gently. 

Percy looked down at the bath water, avoiding Newt’s eye. “He didn’t mean to” Percy whispered. “I was bad. He couldn’t get what he wanted from my head.”

Newt shook his head softly and cupped Percy’s face in his hands. “No, no, it wasn’t your fault. Let me fix it” Newt said, and murmured a spell over Percy’s neck and watched the bruise fade.

“Thank you, mummy” Percy said, nuzzling into Newt’s hand, chasing the comforting touch he’d lacked for so long.

Newt smiled, and kissed the top of Percy’s head. “That’s alright, dear. Come on, let’s get the rest of you washed up. You’re a mucky little pup, you know that?” He teased. “Can I clean your back, Percy?”

Percy nodded, and Newt carefully washed the streaks of dirt, likely coal and dust and dead skin from the place he was kept, off Percy’s back. The tragedies surrounding Percy never seemed to lessen; evidence of his mistreatment kept being uncovered, from the first time Newt had seen him and Percy had asked for his daddy, up until now where Newt had to wash layers of filth off him and reveal bruises and scars. Newt gently brushed his fingers over the worst injuries, helping them fade and lessen in pain. Percy would sigh quietly in relief when the pain faded and eventually he let go of his knees and stretched out in the bath properly. 

Percy further allowed Newt to clean the rest of him, despite some slight squirming and hiding when Newt went between his legs, and soon Percy was perfectly clean. Newt helped him out of the bath and instantly wrapped him in a large fluffy towel.

“Aren’t you a dear?” Newt laughed, ruffling Percy’s fluffy, damp hair. “Ok, stand as still as you can so I can dry you and then we can get your pjs on, and then we can have a cuddle with Auntie Queenie and Auntie Tina. Does that sound nice?” Percy nodded happily, and Newt took a moment to enjoy the rare look of happiness on Percy’s face. “Alright then, I’m going to dry your neck first and then I’ll move down. If you want me to stop, just say stop and I will.” Percy nodded, and Newt started drying down Percy’s body. A pleasant discovery was that Percy was slightly ticklish and he'd giggle when Newt cleaned under his arms, or if Newt tickled his tummy like he did with the niffler. “Ok, arms up Percy” Newt said and slipped a t-shirt over Percy’s head. He then dried Percy’s legs and helped him step into a pair of pajama pants. “There we go, nice and cosy!” 

Percy smiled and fiddled with the edge of his t-shirt. “Thank you, mummy” He said quietly. “I feel nicer now. Not dirty.” 

Newt smiled, glad that his plan had worked in making Percy comfortable after his earlier experience. “That’s good, Perc, that's all I wanted. Now we're going to sit nice and cozy in the living room with Tina and Queenie nd I might let you hold one of my creatures, hey? Would you like that?” Newt offered. 

Percy nodded enthusiastically, and bounced on the balls of his feet. “Uh huh! I wanna see ‘em” He said happily, flapping his hands. 

Newt took in the wide smile and happy body language. He was glad Percy was receptive to the idea; animals often worked as an excellent therapy, particularly for children, and Newt had been tossing up the idea of letting Percy interact with his creatures since his first night at the hospital. “Alright then, love” Newt laughed, ruffling Percy's hair. 

He took Percy to the living room, after vanishing the towel and old clothes, and sat Percy on the sofa next to Tina and Queenie. Queenie ruffled his hair and kissed his cheek, leaving a lipstick print and making Percy blush hotly. 

“Hello, sweetie. Did you have a nice bath?” She cooed. 

Percy drew his legs up and hid his blushing face in his knees. “Uh huh. Bathroom is pretty” He said quietly.

Queenie smiled at him; she thought the boy was absolutely adorable and she loved the thought of having a child to take care of. Queenie wanted children later in life, but she wasn’t ready to have them just yet. She and Jacob were very happy together, but they weren’t even married yet let alone ready for children. Percy coming along was tragic and not the preferred circumstances, and admittedly Queenie would prefer a healthy, adult Percival to the traumatized child. However, she was very happy to be a caretaker for little Percy and was enjoying her new role. Queenie was born to care for others, as a legilimens she was always clued in to the feelings of others, and couldn’t help but intervene when someone was hurting. 

“Aw, I’m glad you like it, sweetheart” She said. “Come on, have a cuddle with Auntie Queenie.” Percy snuggled into her side and she put her arm around him gently. She could feel his bones digging into her and she shook her head. “I am going to feed you up, little man. You are far too skinny and small boys need their fuel to keep going and having fun!” She said, tickling his stomach. 

Percy giggled and squirmed away. “No, Auntie!” He yelped. When she stopped, he snuggled close again and started sucking his thumb, watching Queenie for a negative reaction. He didn’t receive one so he kept sucking and nuzzled into Queenie’s shoulder, closing his eyes. “‘ank ‘ou, Aun’ie” He mumbled. 

“Oh, sweetie, you don’t need to thank me, you’re alright” Queenie said, her eyes filling with tears again. 

Newt smiled at the pair on the couch as he walked in. He wanted to introduce Percy to his creatures, and Newt had decided to start with the niffler. While it was a bit of a menace, the niffer was fairly gentle and was good to start with when introducing people to magical creatures. 

Percy heard Newt walk in and looked up, and his eyes lit up as he saw Newt holding the niffler. “‘Ummy!” He called, thumb still in his mouth. 

Newt laughed and sat down on the sofa, holding the wriggling creature. “You want to say hello to the niffler, Percy?” He asked, holding the niffler carefully so Percy could see it. 

Percy’s eyes were wide and he gently reached his free hand out. “Can I touch?” He asked. 

“Sure thing, Percy. Be gentle but he likes his head being scratched,” Newt said. 

Percy reached out and carefully patted the head of the niffler. It squeaked and nuzzled closer to Percy’s hand. Percy took his other thumb out of his mouth and flapped his hand happily. “Look, mummy, he likes me!” He said excitedly. 

“He does, Perc! Would you like to hold him?” Newt offered, and Percy nodded enthusiastically. “Ok, hold your hands out and he’ll sit there.”

Newt gently placed the niffer in Percy’s hands and Percy held it gently. The niffler wriggled a bit in his hands, but settled down as Percy cuddled it to his chest. Newt sat back happily, and watched Percy cuddle with the creature. It was nice to see the boy enjoying himself for the first time since they'd met, and Newt was content to just watch the boy interact with his creatures and forget what had happened to him, even just for a minute

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter Percy meets Jacob. also see above notes, also please send me ideas and plot points im suffering here


	7. Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> no summary we read like men

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long (long for me at least), i'm starting university next week so i've had to get ready for that and everything, so updates will be a little slower. but please send me requests cause i'm out of ideas and i need muse.

Percy had a very happy late morning and early afternoon playing with the niffler. He started to come out of his shell a bit, albeit while remaining fairly shy and continuing to avoid eye contact and jumping at any sudden noise. But he would giggle and clap his hands as the niffler crawled around his shoulders and tickled his neck. Newt even allowed him a small look at the swooping evil and Percy cried out happily at the beautiful colours of the creature as it flew around the room and swooped past him and ruffled his hair.

Newt had observed him carefully that day. It still felt strange, to see someone with the body of a man with the demeanour of a young child. Granted, Percy looked younger than his imposter; he was clean shaven, his hair was longer and darker and the fringe dangled around his eyes. Something about his eyes too, Newt thought, they looked wider and eager to please, but not quite innocent. But still, there was a dissonance between Percy’s behaviour and his outward appearance. But Newt was getting used to it, he still noticed it (how could he not?), but it didn’t make him viscerally uncomfortable like it had the first time he’d encountered Percy. It had only been a week or so since they met, and yet Newt felt a strong, protective instinct towards Percy, which had only been fired up in their accidental encounter with Grindelwald. Tina and Queenie felt a similar emotion, but with Newt it was intensified tenfold, likely by the fact that Newt had been the first person to find Percy and show him kindness. Classic attachment theory.

During the evening, after dinner, Percy was snoozing on Newt’s lap on the sofa, while the three adults chatted amongst themselves. He was in that strange space between sleep and wakefulness, half-dreaming and half still able to understand the conversation in the room. They were all discussing their plans for tomorrow, particularly Tina who was going back to work. When Percy went to bed, at around 6 or 7, Tina and Newt would send their Patronuses to MACUSA or communicate via the fireplace directly with Seraphina. Tina was going to lead a taskforce with the aim to capture as many of Grindelwald’s followers with or more likely without Grindelwald’s cooperation. They were also planning on extracting some of Grindelwald’s memories to discover everything he had done to Percival, as no-one at MACUSA was particularly keen on interviewing poor Percy again.

Queenie was also discussing her plan to introduce Percy to Jacob. She thought it might be a good idea to introduce Percy to another male figure, especially one like Jacob who was gentle and friendly, and a no-maj – someone who had no power to hurt Percy. At least, no magical power.

“You think he’ll like him? Jacob loves kids, and I guess it’ll be kind of a new situation for him, but he’s a good guy” Queenie implored. “I really want them to meet.”

Newt nodded, subconsciously holding Percy closer in a protective fashion. “Mhmm. I’d like Percy to meet a no-maj. I think it’d be nice for him to meet someone who can’t alter his mind. It’s likely he’ll still be nervous around a man, but I still think it’s a good idea.” Newt rocked Percy gently, and the boy sighed softly and turned a little to nuzzle into Newt’s neck. This position was Percy’s favourite; he felt secure and protected when he hid himself in Newt’s neck or chest. “Hey, I’m going to put this little one to bed” Newt said. “Percy, wakey-wakey.”

Percy mumbled something and wriggled a little on Newt’s lap. He opened his eyes and lifted his head from Newt’s neck. “Mummy?” He yawned.

“It’s bed-time, dearest” Newt said. He stood up and helped Percy to his feet, holding him up as he wobbled slightly on still-weak legs. “Come on.”

Newt led Percy by the hand to the bedroom, but Percy stopped him halfway. “Mummy” He whispered. “I need…”

“What’d you need, love?” Newt asked, his eyebrows suddenly furrowing in concern.

Percy went red once more, chewing on his thumb. He whispered, his voice barely audible. “Need potty.”

“Oh, sweetheart, you don’t have to be embarrassed” Newt said, shaking his head and kissing Percy’s forehead. “Come on, let’s get you to the bathroom.”

Newt led Percy to the bathroom, and waited for him outside. Newt really needed to figure out how to help Percy’s shame complex surrounding anything to do with needing something. Food, shelter, comfort, the toilet, anything. Newt had met many children who had felt embarrassed by needing something, but Percy was truly an exception to these experiences. Not that that was a surprise; obviously given everything Percy had been through he was going to have long-lasting trauma related issues. But him being ashamed of needing the toilet was far too much; Newt didn’t know what to do to help him.

Percy came back out and Newt smiled at him. “Hello, sweetie. Come on, beddy-byes now” He said gently, taking Percy to his bedroom.

He sat Percy on the bed and summoned the boy’s pajamas. Percy managed to wriggle out of his t-shirt, messing his hair up, and with Newt’s help he put on a pajama shirt and a thick jumper. Percy was so thin he felt constantly cold so Newt had him perpetually wrapped in layers to stop him getting sick or uncomfortable. Newt then helped Percy out of his trousers and underwear and into some soft woollen pajama pants. Percy yawned again, rubbing at his eyes with the jumper sleeves flopping over his hands. Newt had to stop himself cooing at that; Percy looked adorable with his too-long sleeves and sleepy eyes.

“Ok, Percy, get into bed for mummy” Newt said, pulling back the blankets on Percy’s bed. The boy snuggled down and Newt pulled the blankets over him, tucking him in carefully. “There’s a good lad. Have a lovely night’s rest and I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you, dear” He said, kissing Percy’s forehead.

“Love you, mummy” Percy mumbled, starting to suck his thumb, and closing his eyes and drifting off in a matter of seconds, completely exhausted.

/

/

/

 

Percy woke up when the sunrise came streaming in through the window and onto his face. He scrubbed at his eyes and crawled out from underneath the covers. The room was cold and Percy shivered as he padded out of bed and into the hallway. He needed the potty but didn’t want to go without his mummy’s permission. Daddy never let him go without permission, and he didn’t always get that permission when he did ask so Percy was never sure when to go. But mummy had said he didn’t need to ask, so maybe he wouldn’t get in trouble this time. Percy entered the bathroom nervously, prepared for a yell or a slap for not asking permission.

“D-daddy’s not here,” He whispered to himself, trying to control his breathing.

No yells or slaps came so Percy locked the door and used the potty quickly. He finished and exited the bathroom, trying to get back to his room before anyone noticed he had left and he’d get punished for being naughty. He quickly turned the corner to his room and he ran smack into someone. Percy flinched instantly and held his hands in front of his face, ready to be punished for not doing what he was told. “’m sorry, daddy, I didn’t mean to get up, I needed the potty!’

“Shh, shh, you’re ok” A soft feminine voice replied. Percy opened his eyes to see Auntie Tina standing there, holding her hands up in a calming gesture. “Daddy’s not here, you’re not in trouble.”

“Sorry, Auntie Tina” Percy mumbled, embarrassed at mistaking Auntie Tina for daddy. “Didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Auntie Tina shushed Percy again and pulled him into a warm, gentle hug. “You didn’t hurt me, love. I’m sorry for making you jump.”

Percy hugged her back, calming down a little as he realised she wasn’t mad at him for being out of bed. Daddy always got angry if he had moved from his spot and would point his stick and make him hurt. Sometimes Percy didn’t know what he’d done wrong; daddy would just come home angry and Percy would get hit without knowing why. Percy hated that the most; he always tried so hard to be good and still he’d get into trouble.

“Are you ok, sweetie?” Auntie Tina asked, after Percy went silence and slack in her arms.

Percy looked up, snapping out of his flashback. He nodded and nuzzled into Tina’s shoulder, seeking her warmth and comfort. Tina hesitated slightly but started stroking the back of his head, being as gentle as she could. Tina really didn’t know how to treat Percy; seeing her former boss regressed to a child was still mind-boggling and hard to deal with, but she didn’t want to give that away. She was determined to act as normal as possible around Percy, treating him like she would a normal child victim she might encounter at MACUSA.

Percy broke away after a few seconds and started sucking his thumb again. Tina cooed quietly and ruffled his hair; even she had to admit he looked absolutely adorable with his wide brown eyes, fluffy hair, and his thumb in his mouth.

“Would you like some breakfast, Percy? I can make you something to eat if you like?” Tina offered.

Percy nodded hesitantly. “’m hung’ry” He mumbled. He was more than hungry; his stomach was cramping with hunger and he felt slightly dizzy from a lack of food. He’d been hungry since before he went to bed, but he didn’t want to tell mummy that he wanted more food after dinner. “P’ease.”

“Come on then, little guy, I’ll get you something to eat” Tina said, taking Percy’s hand and leading him to the kitchen.

Percy followed obediently, still sucking his thumb. Tina looked fondly at the man- little boy who seemed to have finally started trusting her. She sat him down at the table and started to make some toast for him. Newt had informed her that his stomach wasn’t able to hand too much food and any food given to him had to be bland. 

 

The second Tina placed the plate in front of him Percy wolfed down the toast, clearly terrified that the food would be taken from him any moment. She gently petted his hair, trying to get him to slow down. “You’ll choke, honey, slow down” She urged, not ready to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre on a child.

Percy slowed down a little, but still guarded the plate with his arm. He knew in theory that Tina wouldn’t take his food but Grindelwald had drilled into him that food could and would be taken away at any time, and now it was his primal instinct to protect any food he had. It took him only a minute to demolish his food and then he sat back in his seat, pulling his legs up and hiding his face in his knees again. Tina took the plate and scourgified it quickly, looking sadly at the boy as he tried to shrink himself away.

“Good morning Teenie!” Queenie trilled as she entered the room, smiling brightly.

Tina sighed in relief and gave Queenie a kiss on the cheek. “Hello, Queenie. How did you sleep?”

“Very well, Teenie. What’ve you been up to this morning?” Queenie asked cheerfully, waving her wand to make a cup of tea.

“Just giving this little guy some breakfast” Tina said, gesturing at Percy, who hadn’t glanced up from his knees at Queenie entering. “He’s a bit quiet this morning” She said, lowering her voice so only Queenie could hear. “I ran into him this morning and made him jump, I think.”

“Poor baby” Queenie sighed. She floated the tea cup to the table and sat in the seat adjacent to Percy, and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Hello, honey. Are you with me?” Percy made a small noise and glanced at Queenie briefly from behind his knees. Queenie caught his eye and nodded and he hid his face again. “Ok, good boy” She said, and gently stroked his hair. Percy nervously looked up from his knees, and leant into the touch. Queenie smiled and kept up the gentle petting, glad to see  _ her  _ boy stop hiding. “So, Percy, today I’d like you to meet someone. He’s a friend of mine, my fella, and he’d like to say hi to you.”

Percy looked nervous, and his eyes darted around the room. He started sucking his thumb and mumbled quietly. “Safe?”

“Yes, sweetie, he’s very safe. He’s a lovely man; his job is to make cakes! I bet he’ll give you one” Queenie said. “Your mama has met him too, so don’t you worry about that.”

Percy nodded, still clearly extremely nervous. “Mkay” he said quietly. “I’ll meet ‘im.”

Queenie grinned extremely brightly and leant over to kiss Percy’s forehead. “I’m so happy, baby! Jacob’s gonna love ya, he loves kids.”

Percy went red but didn’t hide his face again and kept sucking his thumb, as Tina sat down, and she and Queenie started talking. He still didn't like to talk; being as age regressed as he was he didn't have a particularly large vocabulary or a strong grasp on grammar, and Grindelwald had always insisted on silence so Percy hadn't been able to develop his language skills as much as most children his age would. He felt stupid when he talked because he couldn’t keep up with the conversation the adults were having, and Grindelwald’s reaction to him trying to talk were always wildly variant; sometimes Grindelwald would praise him for talking and even encourage him, and sometimes Percy would be berated for making a single noise

“Percy?” A voice penetrated Percy’s thoughts, snapping him out of the intense daydream. It was Tina. “We’re saying that we’d all like to go to Jacob’s bakery after you meet him. Would you like to come?” 

Percy whimpered and shook his head. He was still far too scared to travel far; his trip to MACUSA had been difficult before the accidental encounter with Grindelwald and now he was very convinced that he didn’t want to leave the apartment. “Scary. Hurt” Percy mumbled. 

Queenie and Tina nodded; this was the response they were expecting. They’d still try later on, when Percy had settled into the day, but for now they wouldn’t push him. As the two sisters kept talking, Newt shuffled in, hair sticking up in all directions and a pair of glasses askew on his nose.

“Good morning, sweetie” Newt said, ruffling Percy’s hair and kissing the top of his head. 

“Hi mummy!” Percy said, finally smiling, and hugging Newt tight. 

Newt laughed and picked up Percy, balancing the boy on his side. Percy squeaked and held on tightly to Newt with his arms around Newt’s neck and legs around his waist, scared to fall. Newt held him firmly though; he was strong through years of handling creatures and he was actually fairly muscled underneath his clothing. 

“There we go! Mummy’s got you” Newt cooed. 

“Damn, you’re strong, Newt!” Queenie laughed, clapping in amusement at Newt’s antics. 

“Ah, he doesn’t weigh a thing. I’m pretty sure I’ve held heavier nifflers” Newt said, bouncing Percy slightly. 

Percy giggled and clung onto Newt as he was carried and bounced around the kitchen. Newt waved his hand and a cup of tea started making itself. Percy clapped at the magic; since he’d regressed he hadn’t been able to use magic properly, rather he’d been exhibiting the signs of a magic child such as objects cracking whenever he got scared or agitated. 

“You’ll be able to do that one day” Newt said, kissing Percy’s cheek. “I promise, I’ll teach you.”

/

/

/

/

Jacob was scheduled to arrive at 12pm, and Percy was feeling agitated and scared in wake of meeting a new man. He had no idea what to expect from a new person and a no-maj at that. Newt had reassured him that Jacob was safe, but Percy was still scared all the same as he sat in the corner of the sofa in his usual position with his legs pulled up and his face hidden in his knees. There was a knock at the door and Percy attempted to scramble off the sofa and under the table. Newt grabbed him, however, and held him close and protected. 

“Hey, hey, it’s ok. Stay here, sweetie. It’s just Jacob” Newt soothed. 

Percy struggled briefly but then sat still, pressing himself into the corner of the sofa as much as he could. He looked fearfully at the door as Queenie answered it with a happy cry and a hug for Jacob. He held a bag of something in his hands and Percy glanced at it nervously. God only knows the things Grindelwald had brought home with him

“Come in, Jacob. There’s a little guy who wants to meet you” Queenie said cheerfully, taking Jacob’s hand and pulling him into the living room where Percy was. 

Newt ruffled Percy’s hair and moved up on the seat a little bit. Percy whimpered when Newt moved away, but stayed in his spot. He finally caught sight of Jacob. Percy scanned him over and took in all he could. The man was short and fat with black curly hair. He wasn’t physically imposing and Percy relaxed a little. Not completely, but the sight of a small, unimposing man definitely lessened his vigilance. The man- Jacob smiled at him and moved a little closer, making sure not to startle Percy. 

“Hey, Percy, right? I’m Jacob” He said. “Queenie told me all about you. It’s nice to meet you, little fella.” Percy didn’t respond, just looked nervously at Jacob. 

Jacob wasn’t perturbed however and he sat down next to Percy on the sofa, making sure not to get too close. He knew what he was doing when it came to kids; he had two nieces and and a nephew, aged, 14, 10, and 7 respectively. Jacob knew what questions to ask and how to make sure they felt safe. Kids usually liked talking about themselves and the stuff they liked, so that’s what Jacob decided to lead with. He cleared his throat and smiled at Percy. “So, how old are you, Perc?”

Percy tilted his head, looking confused. He’d never really thought about it, but Grindelwald had mentioned a few numbers when referring to him. “F-five, I think. Maybe four. I don’t know” He mumbled. 

“Well that’s great, Percy. I got a nephew who’s seven, you know” Jacob said. “He really likes building things and board games. What kinda stuff do you like to do, kid?” 

Percy looked confused again. “Uh… daddy didn’t let me play. Used to have a blankie sometimes, when it was cold. No toys. I don’t know” He mumbled, shrugging a little.  

Jacob nodded sadly. “Well, I kinda figured you didn’t have many toys, so I bought you some things today. My nephew liked them when he was your age, so I thought you might like some stuff”

Percy nodded and hesitantly unwrapped his arms from around his legs and sat crossed legged on the sofa. Newt smiled at him encouragingly, and nodded at him to stay calm and keep going. Jacob reached into his bag carefully, ensuring he didn’t startle Percy, and pulled out a set of alphabetical wooden blocks. Percy’s eyes widened and he leant forward to look closer. Jacob smiled at his excitement, and moved them towards the boy. 

“You wanna play with ‘em?” Jacob said. “Go on, kid. Have a go, that’s what I bought them for.”

Percy grabbed the blocks and his face broke into a smile. He’d never been given toys before, but he’d always wanted something to play with. He held the blocks and traced his finger over the letters and numbers painted on the side. He frowned and looked up at Newt. 

“Mummy? What- what’s that?” Percy asked, pointing at a letter L written on a block.

Newt came over to Percy and crouched on the floor next to him. “That’s the letter L. Letters are what make up words. Look, let me show you.”

Newt took five letters and rearranged them in front of Percy. “See, that says Percy. That’s your name.” Newt ruffled his hair and sat back down next to Jacob. 

Percy’s eyes lit up, and Jacob smiled at the boy. Percy then grabbed more blocks and built them up like a small, square-ish tower. He laughed proudly and knocked the tower down again, clapping. He looked up at Jacob and smiled bashfully. “Thank you, Uncle Jacob” He said quietly. 

“That’s alright, little guy. If you want, you can come down to my shop. Queenie, Tina, and your mom are going to come, and I probably have some stuff I could give you.” Jacob offered, . 

Percy looked up from the blocks nervously. “Out? I-is safe?” He liked Uncle Jacob and wanted to spend a little more time with him, but he was extremely nervous about leaving the apartment. 

“Yeah, Perc, it’s very safe. I promise. Tine and Queenie have got magic all around it to keep out bad guys. It’s got loads of stuff you’ll like, kid” Jacob said. 

Percy nodded nervously. “I-I’ll go. Wanna go” He said, nodding at Jacob and then at Newt. “I’ll be good.”

“I know you will, sweetie, you’re always a good boy” Newt said, and walked over to ruffle Percy’s hair. “Come on, let’s get you dressed and we’ll head on out.” Percy nodded and left Newt lift him up and carry him to the bedroom. Newt sat him on the bed and summoned a clean t-shirt, a jumper and a pair of shoes for Percy. “You’re being very brave, Percy. Mummy’s very proud.” He helped pull the t-shirt and jumper over Percy’s head and tied his shoes for him. “Are you ready to go to Uncle Jacob’s shop?”

“Uh huh” Percy nodded and hugged Newt around his neck. “I love you mummy.”

“I love you too, dear. Come on, let’s go” Newt said, hugging Percy back and then leading him to living room where Tina, Queenie, and Jacob were all waiting. 

They all smiled at Percy and he clutched tightly onto Newt’s hand, hiding behind him a little bit. Newt kissed his temple and nodded at Tina, Queenie, and Jacob, and they all disapparated, reappearing instantly in the alleyway next to Jacob’s shop. Percy whimpered and clutched tighter to Newt’s hand as the group out of the alleyway and down the street towards the bakery. They couldn’t apparate directly into the shop for obvious reasons, so they apparated to an alleyway about a 2 minutes walk from the bakery. Percy bit his thumb as they weaved between pedestrians, jumping if someone bumped into him. Newt squeezed his hand to assure him, and very soon they reached Jacob’s shop. He unlocked it and let them in, closing the door behind him and keeping the sign flipped as ‘closed’. 

“Percy, little guy, you wanna sit down there? I’ll grab you something to do and something to eat” Jacob said, walking behind the counter. 

Percy sat down at a table in the corner of the room, swinging his legs as he glanced around the cafe. He decided he liked it; the decorations were pretty and he liked the look of the food in the glass cases. He had no idea what they were, but they looked nice. His mummy ruffled his hair and followed Jacob behind the counter, and Percy stopped being able to hear them. 

“Newt, he’s a lovely little guy” Jacob said, as he started sorting out the cakes behind the counter. “It’s so sad though” He sighed. 

“I know, I know. He’s doing alright, right now. We managed to get him to agree to meet you, and to come down here in the same day. That’s so much better than he was doing a week ago” Newt said, running a hand through his hair. 

Jacob nodded, and reached into his bag. “Hey, I thought he’d like this. My little nieces loved these when they were little. I, uh, heard drawing helps kids who’ve gone through trauma” Jacob said, hanging Newt a coloring book and a box of crayons. 

“Oh, Jacob, you sweetheart” Newt said, hugging Jacob tight. 

Jacob was taken by surprise and tottered backwards, but hugged Newt back. “It’s no problem, buddy. I like kids, and your little Percy is a nice kid. Even if he does look like the guy that imprisoned me and tried to kill you and Tina.”

Newt laughed a little sadly, and stepped back. “Thank you, Jacob.”

Jacob nodded, and let Newt walk back to Percy and sit opposite him. “Hey, Percy, look what Jacob got you” He said, putting the book and crayons on the table in front of Percy. 

Percy’s eyes lit up and he smiled excitedly. “Color?” He asked, sitting up in his seat and grabbing the crayons. 

“Yeah, Perc, you can color. There’s some blank paper as well, so you draw whatever you like” Newt said, ruffling Percy’s hair. 

Percy grabbed a blank piece of paper and a brown crayon out of the box, as he had an idea of what to draw. “Can I draw you, mummy?” He asked shyly, fiddling with the paper on the crayon. 

Newt smiled wide, glad that Percy was instantly thinking of something positive and unrelated to his trauma. “Of course, honey” Newt said. “I’m going to go back to Uncle Jacob, are you alright here?” Percy nodded, so Newt ruffled his hair and walked back to where Tina, Queenie, and Jacob were all standing. “Hey, Jacob, he’s really happy with the coloring stuff. Thank you so much for getting them for him.”

“Aw, Newt, don’t worry about it. He- he’s a good kid” Jacob said, a little emotionally. “Is he gonna be ok? Like, is he gonna be a kid forever, or will he grow up or get fixed at some point?” 

Newt shook his head. “I honestly don’t know. According to the healers and a legilimens it’s a deeply ingrained behaviour that Grindelwald forced on him, and it now part of him. So either he’ll grow up from age four, or stay four forever. He’s going to have to live with it, I think.”

Jacob nodded. “I guess, in that case, if you ever need a babysitter or anything I’ll happily chip in. I’ve looked after kids for a long time, so I’ll be happy to look after him if you need a night off or to work, or something. I could sit him in the back here easy, for as long as you want.”

Newt briefly glanced back at Percy, seeing him coloring happily, and turned back to Jacob. “I reckon we could try that. It’ll take him a while to get used to being without me; he’s extremely attached to me right now. But, if you came over a few times and looked after him with me still there, then I reckon he would start trusting you enough to stay with you for a while. Queenie?” Newt asked, looking at Queenie. 

“Yeah, he likes you, Jacob. He’s a bit nervous still, doesn’t trust you yet, but he’s warming up to you. He- he’s still scared that someone’s gonna hurt him. And he’s still scared that his daddy’s gonna show up at any moment and take him back” Queenie said, briefly glancing into Percy’s mind.

Jacob nodded again, kissing Queenie’s cheek. “I’m gonna- while the stuff bakes, I’m gonna sit with Perc for a bit. Is that ok?” 

“Of course, go for it. We have to start somewhere, don’t we?” Newt said, clapping a hand on Jacob’s shoulder and nudging him towards Percy. 

Jacob nodded at the trio, and went and sat down opposite Percy. “Hey, kiddo, whatcha drawin’?” 

“Mummy” Percy said, his tongue sticking out as he scribbled on the page. “Lookit!” He said, holding the page out to Jacob. 

“Aw, little man, that’s so good!” Jacob praised, looking closely at the picture. “Your mom’s gonna love this!” 

Percy smiled, blushing at the praise, and took the paper back. “Thank ‘ou, Uncle Jacob” He said. 

“Aw, no worries, buddy” Jacob said, smiling at the lad. He liked Percy a lot; he was a sweet kid who seemed really eager to please despite his nerves, and Jacob definitely wanted to keep the kid around, and try and give him as good a childhood as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ^ please send requests at irlbyron or in the comments i also accept commissions if you're feeling generous, the donate button is on my blog


	8. Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy has a nightmare and disappears further inside his head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter lads because I just wanted to get something up and i missed u all

When the evening came, Percy was completely exhausted. All the social interaction had drained him, and by 5 o’clock he was feeling teary and cranky from sleepiness. He jumped off his chair and toddled over to Newt, rubbing his eyes. 

“Mummy, I wanna go” He whimpered, tugging at Newt’s sleeve. 

Newt shushed him and picked him up, cradling the boy close. “Ok, Perc, ok. Someone’s sleepy, hey?” He cooed, kissing Percy's forehead maternally. 

Percy nodded and hid his face in Newt’s neck. “I’m sorry, mummy. I’m really tired. Wanna go sleep" He mumbled shyly, starting to sniffle nervously.

Newt brushed Percy's hair aside and smiled at the boy. “Don't worry, little one, it’s alright. I’ll take you home, Queenie and Tina will come home in a little bit longer” He said. 

He nodded at the three adults in the room, indicating his imminent disapparation. Percy held on tight in face of the uncomfortable dizziness that always affected him during apparition. When they reappeared in the apartment, Percy was already half asleep in Newt’s arms, whining slightly from the dizziness. Newt smiled down at the boy and dimmed the lights surrounding them. 

“Bed time, I think, for mummy’s boy” Newt whispered, carrying Percy to his bedroom. He liked to talk to Percy even when the boy wasn’t listening; the act of verbalising his thoughts was very calming to Newt. “You’ve been a very brave boy today so I think you deserve a nice sleep, don’t you? Alrighty then, bed time.”

Newt lay Percy down on the bed and gently undressed him, trying to avoid rousing him too much. When Percy was undressed, Newt carefully slipped a jumper over him but didn’t attempt to put him in pajama bottoms. He left Percy in his underwear and tucked him under several layers of blankets to compensate for the lack of pajamas.

“Goodnight, dear. Mummy will see you in the morning” Newt said, kissing Percy’s forehead. 

Percy mumbled vaguely, and snuggled down into the bed. Newt smiled and turned the lights off, leaving Percy to sleep. 

/////////

One thing about Newt was he was hypersensitive to the world around him. It was both a natural thing and something he’d honed through years of working as a magizoologist. So when Newt woke at 2am to the sound of quiet crying and rustling, he wasn’t at all surprised that he’d heard it. He was up in an instant, stumbling to Percy’s room still half asleep.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong, love?” Newt said, rushing to Percy’s side and sitting the boy up. 

Percy didn’t respond, crying hard and trying to wriggle away from Newt. He was half-shouting, half-sobbing, but not making any coherent words like he usually did when upset. Newt held him tighter, trying to calm the boy’s agitated movements. This behaviour was new; Percival wasn’t behaving like a young child but almost a frightened infant. Newt summoned a blanket and wrapped him tightly in it, swaddling him. Percy whimpered but stopped shouting, instead just crying loudly into Newt’s chest. 

“Ssh, baby, shh. You had a nightmare didn’t you, Percy? Oh, honey” Newt sighed, pulling Percy onto his lap and rocking him gently. “Mummy’s here.”

Newt waved a hand to send a note to Queenie, summoning her to the bedroom. She somehow always knew what to do when someone was upset. Percy’s movements were starting to lessen but he was still wriggling around in Newt’s lap, not trying to break free but trying to find an outlet for his pain and agitation now he couldn’t talk. 

The door cracked opened and Queenie hurried in. “Oh Newt, I could hear his thoughts from the other side of the apartment. He had a nightmare, I was on my way anyway” She fretted, rushing to Newt’s side and stroking Percy’s hair. “Hey, hey honey. It’s Auntie Queenie, can you hear me?”

Percy didn’t respond, and Newt shook his head and looked up at Queenie. “I’m not sure what happened, he’s acting differently. He can’t talk and his behaviour isn’t congruent with a four year old anymore.”

“Oh no, has he gotten littler? A baby?” Queenie asked tearily. 

Newt shrugged desperately. “I don’t know. Can you… can you take a look?” He asked, nodding at Percy. 

Queenie bit her lip but nodded and gently reached out to touch Percy’s temple. He wriggled a little more but Queenie shushed him. Her eyes filled with tears as she read his thoughts and delved into his mind. “Oh Newt. He’s so little” She whispered. “He’s not really there at all. He’s so lost. So confused. Grindelwald did this to him, Newt. Made him so little when he was scared. Oh Newt, he’s just a baby.”

Newt nodded and stood up and lifted Percy into his arms, supporting the boy under his backside. “Oh, Percival. Percy. You poor thing. It’ll be ok, we’ll get you back” He whispered. Percy whimpered and nuzzled into Newt’s embrace, grasping weakly at his shirt. He couldn’t hold himself up very well and was almost floppy in Newt’s arms. He instinctively nuzzled into Newt’s chest, where a breast would normally be if Newt were a woman. “Are you hungry, sweetheart? Queenie, if you go into my case, in my study there's some glass feeding bottles, could you grab one please?” Newt asked, biting his lip. 

Queenie nodded, and disappeared to Newt’s room to search his case. Newt carried Percy to the living room and sat down on the sofa, rearranging Percy so the boy was sitting sideways on Newt’s lap. “You're going to be ok, dear. Mummy will bring you back” Newt whispered, rocking Percy and petting his hair. Queenie hurried in with a bottle in her hands and handed it to Newt, who whispered a spell that filled it with warm milk. “Thank you, Queenie” He murmured. 

Percy tried to grab at the bottle, seeing it was something for him, and Newt settled him down and gently slipped the rubber tip in Percy’s mouth. The boy quieted instantly, and drank eagerly from the bottle. 

“Oh Newt” Queenie whispered. “Is he gonna come out of this? Will he go back to being four or five again?”

“I expect so. This appears to be a response to a nightmare: he hasn't had one of those with us until today and I suspect this is a coping mechanism” Newt explained. “Until then, I'll look after him and keep him comfortable.” 

Queenie nodded, petting Percival’s floppy hair. “He’s a dear” She murmured. “I looked after a colleague’s baby not long ago, such an angel. Percy’s a bit big, of course, but… he’s a sweetheart.”

“You wanna feed him?” Newt offered. 

Queenie’s eyes widened and she nodded enthusiastically. “I’d love to!” She took the bottle from Newt, making sure it didn’t leave Percy’s mouth, and tilted it up for him to drink. “Oh, you’re such a sweetie” She cooed at the boy. “Newt I feel so bad for finding him cute. He’s in pain, suffering, I don’t want to… you know” She bit her lip and waved her hands in an attempt to find words. 

“I know” Newt murmured. “I get it. It’s ok to think he’s cute; he’s a little boy and he’s very sweet and eager to please.”

Queenie sighed, and tilted the bottle as Percy drained the last drops from the bottle. She floated the bottle over to a table and helped Newt lift Percy up. “You wanna get him back to bed, poor thing? Maybe he’ll wake up and he’ll be all better?” Queenie said, brushing Percy’s hair out of his eyes. 

Newt nodded, and lifted Percy and carried him towards his bedroom. “Yes, I’ll put him down and hopefully he’ll stay asleep until morning” He said, waving the door open and sitting Percy on his bed. Percy whined and flopped into Newt’s arms, nuzzling as close as he could. Newt hushed him and tucked him under the blankets. “Queenie, can you pass me his cuddly niffler and the little blanket on the basket over there?”

Queenie nodded and gave the items to Newt. He tucked the cuddly niffler in Percy’s arms, and he squeezed it while sucking on his thumb. Newt covered him in the little blanket that Percy had started to become attached to after Queenie sewed it for him, and murmured a soothing charm over the little boy. 

Queenie pressed a kiss to Percy’s forehead. “Have a good sleep, little guy” She whispered, dimming the lights with a wave of her wand. “Auntie Queenie’s here, and your mummy.”

Newt took her hand and led her out the room. Once they were outside the room, they fell into each other’s arms, fighting back tears. They held each other for a while, until a door opened and Tina stepped out. 

“Guys? Everything ok?” She asked tentatively placing a hand on Queenie’s shoulder. 

Queenie and Newt broke apart, wiping at their eyes. Newt coughed and nodded. “Um, it’s Percy. He had a nightmare so I took care of him but he appears to have regressed further, to a younger age. He currently is unable to produce speech and has difficulty holding himself up” Newt said, his words calm and scientific, contrasting with his wobbling voice. 

Tina sighed and pulled her weeping sister into a hug. Queenie sniffled and held Tina tight while Newt brushed his pajamas and tried to pull himself together. “I-I’m fairly confident he’ll go back to his last age, 4 or 5, but I’m not sure when” He sighed. “It might take a few days.”

Tina nodded, ruffling Queenie’s hair and kissing her forehead. “He’ll be alright, let’s get back to bed, hey? We can’t help Percy if we’re all tired.”

The three adults all said goodnight and turned back to bed, readying themselves for tomorrow’s challenges. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, i have a few ideas for the next chapter: i'm gonna keep Percy really little for at least one more chapter. i'm not sure what u guys want out of baby Percy though; do you want him in a diaper, bottle fed, playing with toys? tell me what you'd like!!! either here or on my tumblr @irlbyron


	9. Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> more bab!Percy, just a happy fluffy chapter i promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *throws this at u* jsut take the fuckifng thing

Newt woke early, despite his late night. The sun was shining through the windows; he’d forgotten to draw the curtains. He struggled out of bed and immediately walked sleepily towards Percy’s room. Given Percy’s more severe age regression, Newt had no doubt he’d be awake, hungry, and possibly needing the potty. As he reached Percy’s door, he could already hear whimpering, and pushed open the door, quickly moving to the side of the bed and kneeling down. 

“Hey, hey Percy. It’s mummy, can you understand me?” Newt said quietly, placing a hand on Percy’s shoulder. Percy sobbed and wriggled uncomfortably in his blankets. An unpleasant smell caught Newt’s attention, and he gently moved the blankets away to reveal a wet patch around Percy’s legs. “Oh, little one, I’m so sorry. I didn’t take you to the potty last night” Newt sighed, rubbing his eyes guiltily. 

He drew out his wand from his pajama pocket and waved it, conjuring a damp flannel, some baby powder, and a cloth diaper. Percy continued to cry, rising in volume, and Newt rested the things he’d summoned on the bed and pressed a gentle kiss to Percy’s forehead. “It’s ok, love. Mummy’s sorry, you’ll be nice and clean again in just a minute.” Newt muttered  _ scourgify  _ and the wet patch vanished along with the acrid smell. “That’s a good boy, now hold still for me.”

Newt sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed and gently eased down Percy’s underwear. The boy squirmed unhappily and Newt soothed him with a gentle spell. He put the baby powder and diaper between Percy’s legs and fastened it with another spell; he’d put diapers on his beasts before in special circumstances so he knew what he was doing. Percy’s wriggling stopped now he was comfortable and dry, and his crying tapered off. Newt smiled, and ruffled Percy’s hair at seeing his boy smile.  _ His boy.  _ Newt was still a little shocked every time he thought of Percy as his boy. He knew, logically, that Percy was physically a grown adult. But, Merlin, Percy as a person, psychologically? He was a little boy who didn’t know what was going in; he’d been removed from his “daddy’s” care and thrust into a new world where people actually cared for him and his wellbeing. Percy was a scared and confused child and Newt was willing to do anything to accommodate this frightened little boy. 

Percy’s whimpering snapped Newt out of his intense thought process, and he smiled and slipped some pajama pants back on Percy. “There we go, isn’t that better. All nice and dry!” Newt said. He jumped off the bed, standing up, and lifted Percy into his arms. “Let’s get you something for breakfast!” He continued cheerily, carrying Percy to the living area.

Percy gurgled a little, clutching at Newt’s pajama shirt. Newt laughed at the noises the little boy made, and bounced him gently to make him laugh. It worked and Percy’s face lit up with a smile. It was a rare thing to see on Percy’s face, and Newt had no plans to stop it from happening as often as possible. 

Newt sat Percy on the sofa, propped against cushions so he didn’t fall. He reached into his suitcase he kept propped in the corner of the living room and pulled out a bottle. He waved a hand and it filled with warm milk again like the night before. He sat back on the sofa, pulling Percy into his lap, and slipped the rubber tip of the bottle into Percy’s mouth. The boy drank eagerly, almost too fast, and Newt tilted the bottle down to stop Percy choking. “Slow down, little guy. Mummy doesn’t want you choking. I’d get in lots of trouble with Ms Picquery and your aunties, wouldn’t I?” Newt cooed, pressing a kiss in Percy’s hair and rocking him gently. 

They sat together in silence save for Percy’s sucking sounds as he drained the bottle. Newt murmured quiet nothings to Percy to keep the boy calm and happy, and after Percy finished, he patted his back rhythmically to make him burp. When he did, Newt giggled and ruffled Percy’s hair. “Good boy!” He praised. 

“That he is!” Queenie’s voice agreed as she wandered in in her dressing gown. “Now, I want to see my little boy!”

Newt laughed and carried Percy towards Queenie. “Here he comes!” Newt laughed, carrying a cheery Percy towards Queenie. 

Queenie cooed, and booped Percy’s nose, making him giggle. “Good morning, sweetie! Someone’s doing a bit better this morning!” She said happily. “How is he, Newt?” 

Newt shrugged, holding Percy protectively. “Still just a baby, I think. I, uh…” He glanced at Percy, who was looking around oblivious to any conversation. “He had a bit of an accident in his bed when he was sleeping, so I put him in a nappy- uh, diaper” He explained, not completely sure that an adult Percy would want Newt to tell anyone such a thing. But, right now, it was necessary for Queenie to know. 

Queenie sniffled, and took hold of one of Percival’s hands. “Oh, you’re such a brave little soldier” She cooed. “Such a brave boy, Percival.” Percy clearly didn’t understand but he liked Queenie’s demeanour, so he giggled and grabbed curiously at her bright curly hair. She laughed and patiently let him grab at her locks. “Oh, Newt. He’s lovely” She murmured.

“He likes you” Newt replied. “He seems very receptive to women, more so than I imagine he would be with men. He hasn’t met many other men though, and I certainly wouldn’t introduce him to any in this state.”

“No, poor thing” Queenie agreed. “No nasty men for my little guy, hey?” 

Newt looked at her in mock-offence. “Hey! Am I not a man, Queenie?” He asked, a curl of a smile betraying his joke. 

“No, you're his mummy!” Queenie argued. “His lovely, gentle mama.”

“Mmm, I suppose” Newt murmured, ticking Percy’s chin. “Can you say that, Percy? Can you say mama?” He supposed it was a bit of a stretch, expecting Percy to talk so early, but he wanted to give Percy as close to a normal childhood as he could and that started with all the normal milestones. 

Percy babbled, making nonsense noises, but didn’t managed to say ‘mama’. Newt didn’t mind though, and bounced Percy up and down and made him giggle again. Queenie laughed at Newt and poked him in the chest mock-accusingly. “Where on earth did you learn to take care of children, Newt?” She asked. “You’re so good with him!”   


Newt shrugged. “I suppose I’m just transferring the skills I’ve learnt with my creatures. It’s not like I have any nieces or nephews; so far, Theseus has proven himself a permanent bachelor,” He said, laughing a little. 

“A waste” Queenie murmured.

Newt stuck out his tongue, making Percy giggle. Newt thought for a second and nodded in the direction of his case. “Can you grab his toys out of my case? I’d like to let him play a little bit.”

Queenie nodded, reaching into the case again as Newt sat Percy down on the carpet. The boy wobbled and placed his hands on the floor to steady himself. Newt smiled. Progress. He carefully maneuvered Percy so he was laying on his stomach and reached over for the toys Queenie had taken out of his case. He grabbed a ball, some blocks, and a plush demiguise. He laid them in front of Percy, who grabbed at the ball first. He threw it towards Newt, who caught it, and rolled it back.

They played for a while like this, Percy never tiring, until Tina also joined them in the living room. “Hello, Newt! What’re you two up to?”

“Playtime with my little guy” Newt said, tossing the ball at Percy. “Infants are supposed to spend some time on their tummy each day, to strengthen up and bond with their caregivers.”

“I-isn’t he full grown?” Tina frowned. “Surely he doesn’t need….”

Newt put a hand up. “I know what you mean, but psychologically speaking he is a child so I’d like to give him as close to a happy childhood as I can manage, so I’m trying to do everything you would normally do with a baby, until he heals” Newt explained, ruffling Percy’s hair and teasing him with the plush demiguise. “It seems a bit silly, I suppose, but although we can see Percy is physically an adult, as far as he’s concerned he’s a child.”

Tina shrugged. “I suppose you’re right. It just feels strange for me, cause I’ve known him for so long as Director Graves. Seeing him as a little child is frankly bizarre.” 

Despite her confusion, she knelt down and gently took hold of Percy’s hand. He giggled and grabbed at her finger, holding it tight. Tina cooed, she couldn’t help it, and rolled the ball towards him. Percy bounced it back to her and looked at her expectantly. As an infant, Percy wasn’t as frightened as he was when he first regressed, and it was nice for everyone to see him relaxed and playful. Tina played willingly, starting to relax and feel less awkward around her boss-turned-infant. 

They played together for a while, and whenever Percy caught the ball after she threw it, she couldn’t help but ruffle his hair and cheer “Good boy, Percy!” It took her by surprise, praising Percy like that. She would never have imagined calling Percival Graves, Director of Magical Security, a good boy, but here she was.

Newt lifted Percy up, having had enough time on his tummy, and sat him up with his back against Newt’s chest. Percy whimpered and wriggled in Newt’s arms so he was sitting sideways on Newt’s lap, trying to nuzzle into the magizoologist’s chest. Tears started; Percy was hungry. Newt accioed a bottle and filled it with milk, and brought the rubber tip to Percy’s mouth. Percy suckled eagerly, making small squeaky noises. Newt cooed, holding Percy’s head up. Tina looked on, curious, and cleared her throat. 

“Newt… Newt, could I…? I mean, I’ve heard it can strengthen a bond between….” Tina stuttered. 

Newt hushed her and nodded. “C’mere” He said, gesturing with a free hand. Tina moved nervously and sat behind Newt, winding her arms around his waist and taking the bottle. Percy jerked in Newt’s arms as the bottle was briefly taken out of his mouth. He whined, and Newt hushed him quietly. “Just hold it carefully, don’t let him choke” Newt murmured to Tina. 

Tina followed his words, holding Percy’s bottle and slipping the tip back in his mouth. Percy suckled hard again, and Tina tilted the bottle to stop him choking or getting hiccups. She smiled at him, her other hand holding onto Newt’s hip. “Newt, he’s very sweet like this” She murmured. 

“He likes you” Newt said, smiling and holding up Percy’s head. “I know this is strange for you, it’s strange for me too, but the best thing you can do is treat him like a little boy because that’s  _ what he is. _ ”

Tina nodded. “I might as well just throw myself into the madness I suppose” She said. “Can I hold him?”

Newt nodded, and slowly and carefully extracted himself from Tina and Percy so she was alone with the boy. Percy whimpered a little as he was moved around but when he settled down on Tina’s lap, he snuggled close. Tina rested his head in her arms and held his bottle up as he drained the last of it. “Good boy, Perc” She cooed, putting the bottle on the floor. 

“You’ll need to burp him” Newt murmured from the sofa. 

Tina nodded, and turned Percy around so he was sitting in her lap with his chin resting on her shoulder. She patted his back firmly for a few minutes, while he whimpered in her lap, in slight pain from not burping yet. “Come on, Percy, need you to burp for me” Tina whispered. It took a while, but eventually Percy burped, and everyone in the room laughed and clapped a little for him. Tina smiled proudly, kissing Percy’s forehead. “Good boy! Well done” She laughed, moving Percy so he was sat sideways again. 

Newt smiled at the pair, and stood up from the sofa and moved towards the kitchen, but Percy yelped and reached towards the magizoologist, grabbing desperately at the air. Newt shushed him and picked him up, balancing the boy on his hip. “What’s that all about, hey?” He cooed, stroking Percy’s hair out of his eyes. “You’re alright, you’re safe here, no daddy…”

Percy whined and clutched at Newt’s shirt, wriggling uncomfortably, and then slowly relaxing again. Newt shook his head and kissed Percy’s temple. “I’m sorry baby, you needed the potty didn’t you?” He murmured. “Ok, let’s get you into a clean nappy.”

“He ok, Newt?” Tina asked, nervous that she did something wrong. “Did I hurt him?”  

“No, no, you didn’t do anything wrong, Tina!” Newt said hurriedly. “He, uh, went potty. Needs a clean diaper” Newt explained, cuddling Percy tighter to sooth him despite his discomfort. 

“Can’t you just scourgify it?” Tina frowned. 

Newt shook his head. “Something about the magic just doesn’t work; my mother always told me it doesn’t work, and I’ve proved her right. I’ll need to change him. I’ll be right back” Newt said, carrying Percy to his bedroom. Percy was crying quietly, clearly uncomfortable in his wet diaper. Newt sat him down on the bed and wiped away his boy’s tears. It broke his heart anew every time Percy cried, no matter the reason why. “It’s ok, Percy, mummy’s here. Come on, lay down for me” Newt said, lying Percy down and unbuttoning his pajama bottoms. “I know, I know, I’m sorry.”

Percy wriggled and babbled as Newt cleaned him, powdered him and fastened a new diaper around him. Newt laughed at the noises Percy made, and tickled the boy’s tummy in a similar way he did with the niffler. His stomach was fairly concave due to his imprisonment and Newt hoped that he’d be able to help Percy return to a healthy weight soon. Newt started to put Percival’s pajama bottoms back on him but the boy kicked and tried to crawl away when Newt attempted the task. 

“Come on, Percy, let’s get your pjs on” Newt pleaded with the boy, but he continued to kick and struggle until Newt surrendered and picked Percy up in just his diaper and jumper. “Ok, ok, mr grumpy pants” He sighed. 

Percy didn’t make a sound, just sucked his thumb and nuzzled into Newt’s chest, clearly content with his current state of undress. Newt couldn’t help but smile as he carried him into the living room and sat down on the sofa. Tina raised an eyebrow at Percy’s state of dress and Newt just shrugged. “He refused to put trousers on. I wasn’t going to argue with a child about trousers.”

“You’ve always been stubborn then, Percival?” Tina laughed fondly, scooting up the couch and ruffling Percy’s hair. “Mr I-suddenly-hate-pants, hey? I don’t know what it is with kids and pants; Abernathy brought his nephew in one time and the kid was simply furious with the idea of wearing pants.”

Newt laughed. “Cause he’s my silly little baby boy” He joked, kissing Percy’s head and rocking him. “I love you so much” He murmured, quieter and more serious. “Tina, honestly, I know you’ve known him so much longer than me, and I’m sorry if I-”

Tina waved a hand. “Don’t apologise, Newt. Look at him, hey, he clearly loves you to death. He trusts you, Newt, and that’s clearly a big thing after what happened to him. It’s ok to love him.”

Newt nodded, too emotional to thank her. Percy turned so he was sitting facing Newt and snuggled into his chest. Newt smiled and stroked the back of Percy’s head as the boy started to nod off in his lap. His thumb was still inside his mouth, and Tina bit her lip as she thought for a second. 

“Hey, Newt, I might have a pacifier somewhere… for Percy. I know him sucking his thumb can’t be good for his teeth. Queenie had to babysit not long ago for a friend and she mentioned that some stuff was left behind. I can take a look…” She suggested nervously.

Newt grinned and nodded. “That’d be great, actually. I’ve been worried about him hurting his teeth, but I didn’t want to tell him to stop. Grindelwald shouted at him for sucking his thumb so I didn’t want to trigger any bad memories” He explained. 

Tina nodded and, clearly having overheard their thoughts, Queenie came walking in holding a small pacifier. “I could hear you from my bedroom, honestly. Here you go, honey” She said, handing it to Newt. 

Newt thanked her and gently pulled Percy’s thumb out of his mouth and swapped it for the pacifier. Percy whimpered but then suckled enthusiastically, fast asleep and satisfied with the pacifier. All 3 adults cooed simultaneously; Percival looked absolutely adorable. It still felt wrong to find Percy cute; this demeanor was the result of severe mistreatment and brainwashing. Yet the boy was so eager to please and sweet and almost innocent, it was impossible not to find Percy adorable. Despite this, all three of them would much rather Percy be his normal, adult stoic self than the scared little boy Grindelwald had turned him into. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *clicks fingers rhythmically* send me requests on tumblr or here i love u pls leave comments and kudos ok i thrive off attention


	10. Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob comes to visit baby Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a short chapter because i wanted to put something up bc i missed u all. please send me requests and ideas here or on tumblr @credencx

It was around 1pm when Percy was jostled, and startled by a knock on the door. He whimpered and nuzzled further into Newt’s lap. Queenie hushed him and ruffled his hair as she went towards the door to answer it. She waved the door open to see Jacob standing there, smiling. Queenie smiled in return as she recalled inviting Jacob over the other day.    


“Hey, Jacob!” She greeted happily, hugging him tight and ushering him inside, already chattering away. 

Tina looked up from the sofa, a slight frown on her face. She waved at Jacob and turned back to Percy. “Hey, Perc, it looks like Uncle Jacob’s here. Will you be ok for a second?” She asked, though she knew full well he wouldn’t reply. 

Percy blinked up at her, eyes wide, and sucked on his pacifier. Tina ruffled his hair and nodded at Newt, jerking her head towards the kitchen. 

“We should… explain to Jacob what’s happened. Can you leave him for a second?” She asked. 

Newt nodded, petting Percy's hair. "Ok, mummy will be right back, Perc. Just stay put for me."

New then stepped away and carefully left Percy in the corner, bracketed by the soft sofa cushions, with his pacifier for him to suck on soothingly. Tina and he moved to the the kitchen where they urged Jacob into a corner where Percy couldn't hear them, not that he could understand anyway. 

“So, Jacob, Percy had a bit of a funny turn last night… and he’s regressed further, so he’s in a lot younger headspace now. He can’t talk or anything and I don’t think he can understand our speech either” Newt said, gesturing at Percy as he sat on the sofa with his pacifier and cuddly niffler. 

Jacob nodded for a long while as he slowly digested the information. “Ok, I guess. I mean, I don’t understand it much but I’ll do my best not to upset him or anything. And he’s a sweet kid, I can’t imagine that’ll change” He smiled. 

Queenie kissed his cheek and took Jacob to the sofa where he sat down near Percy. Percy giggled at Jacob and grabbed at the air, trying to crawl towards him. Jacob couldn't help but smile, and moved closer so he was sitting right next to Percy and could ruffle Percy's hair. Percy giggled again and his pacifier fell out his mouth onto his lap. 

“Ok, I’ll admit, he’s cute” Jacob said, picking up Percy’s pacifier and popping it back in his mouth. “There’s a good lad.”

Newt laughed and ruffled Percy's hair as he walked past towards the kitchen. “He likes you, Jacob. He doesn’t giggle like that with just anyone” Newt teased. 

Jacob laughed and shook his head. “Oh, you’re just saying that” He tutted. Percy made a happy cooing noise, and crawled onto Jacob’s lap. He sat down sideways and nuzzled into Jacob's warm neck. Jacob blinked in surprise but tentatively held onto Percy, cuddling him close. Percy was taller than Jacob but he seemed able to fold himself smaller in Jacob’s lap as he wrapped his arms around Jacob’s soft middle. “Newt, he’s a lot...cuddlier when he’s this little.”

Newt shrugged. “Yes, I believe so. In his younger, more infantile state, he doesn’t appear to have the conditioned emotional responses that he has when he’s four or five. He’s still a little bit jumpy around loud noises but apart from that… he seems fine to cuddle with anyone.”

Percy giggled and nuzzled into Jacob further, and sucked on his pacifier. Jacob was nice, soft, and warm, and while Percy loved his mummy’s cuddles, mummy was thin and muscled, very firm. Percy appreciated someone cuddly and squishy for once. Newt noticed this and smiled, and briefly left the kitchen to give Percy his cuddly niffler back. 

“He likes that you’re nice and cuddly, Jacob. I’m a bit spindly, so not the best for a cuddle. But you’re lovely and soft, it would seem” Newt said, ruffling Percy’s hair. “Isn’t that right, Percy? You like sitting with Uncle Jacob?”

Percy giggled happily, and nuzzled further into Jacob's warm body. Jacob smiled and indulgently cuddled Percy a little more. “Ok, ok, I’ll admit it. I like the little guy” He said, shaking his head and bouncing Percy. “Even if he is a bit bigger than me.”

“Oh, shh, he’s just a baby” Newt said, swatting Jacob’s head. “Hey, he’s been playing with the toys you got him! He really liked the blocks, didn’t you, Perc? Would you like to play with Uncle Jacob and then go for a nap?” 

Percy giggled and looked hopefully up at Jacob. Jacob shrugged and nodded and Percy scrambled excitedly off his lap and onto the floor. Jacob followed him, sitting cross-legged opposite the boy. Newt ruffled Percy’s hair and placed his blocks and his bouncy ball on the floor. Percy grabbed at them excitedly and waved them at Jacob. Jacob smiled again, helping Percy build the blocks up into a tower and knock them down. Percy giggled at the repetitive activity and kept doing it over and over, building the blocks and knocking them down. All the adults watched him enjoy himself for quite a while, knocking down towers over and over again while Jacob helped him build them up again. Newt had realised that repetitive actions seemed to work best for Percy when it came to staying calm and happy. 

“If you want, I can get a hold of more toys for him. I’ve got, like, pacifiers, stuffed animals, toy cars, that kinda stuff” Jacob said, gesturing in Percy’s direction as the boy clapped and giggled to himself. Jacob rose to his feet and stretched, and ruffled Percy’s hair. “There’s a good lad, Uncle Jacob'll be right back.”

Jacob walked into the kitchen to get a drink, walking past Newt who was exiting and went to sit on the sofa. Soon after Jacob had left and Newt had sat down, Percy dropped his toys and started wriggling and squirming in his seat. Newt recognized the movements and, after waiting for him to stop the squirming, went and picked him up. Percy was whimpering from the discomfort, and nuzzled needily into Newt’s neck. 

“Shh, it's ok. Hey Jacob!” Newt called. “I’m taking Percy for a change and then a nap. You wanna say bye-bye?”

Jacob left the kitchen and walked up to Newt, smiling kindly at Percy. “Yeah, sure thing. Bye-bye, little guy. Hope you feel better soon” He said, ruffling Percy’s hair. “I’ll be back with more stuff for you, kid.” He sat back down on the sofa, and Percy waved back shyly as he was carried away to the bedroom. 

Newt smiled proudly and kissed Percy’s temple. “Very brave boy” He murmured. Percy just yawned and nuzzled closer, starting to go boneless and floppy. “Shh, come on, awake just a bit longer little one” Newt encouraged, and lay Percy down on the bed and started changing him. Percy wriggled around, evidently grumpy from wanting to nap. Newt pressed a gentle hand on his stomach to still him as he fiddled with Percy’s diaper. “C’mon, stay still for mummy” He said, and Percy’s wiggling stilled enough that Newt could change Percy and put him in his pajamas. “Lovely. Nap time now.”

Percy let himself be tucked into bed and he snuggled into his blankie and cuddly niffler. Newt popped Percy’s pacifier into his mouth and waved the lights away with his hands. Percy had dozed off in almost an instant, and Newt quietly left the room and closed the door, whispering a muffling charm around the room. He leant against the wall and sighed, closing his eyes. 

“Everything ok, Newt?” It was Jacob, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. 

Newt jumped a little but smiled. “Yeah, just worried about Percy” He said, gesturing towards the door. 

Jacob sighed. “I understand. I mean, I still don’t, like,  _ understand  _ the whole child-but-an-adult thing…?

Newt nodded understandingly. “Not many people have so far. I only understand because I’m a scientist of sorts, and even then I haven’t really seen regression to such an extent as Percy’s” He said, fiddling with his fingernails. “But we’re all pitching in to take care of him, and your help is extremely appreciated, Jacob. Thank you so much for spending time with him.”

Jacob shook his head. “It’s no bother. I had a nice time, and I’m glad he did too. Let me know if he needs anything, like toys and stuff. I’ve got plenty. I’ve got nieces and nephews coming out my ears, y’know?” 

Newt nodded and pulled Jacob into a grateful hug. Jacob hugged him back, a little awkwardly, and then the two men pulled apart to step back into the living room and join Tina and Queenie. 

**Author's Note:**

> hello please send me questions and ideas at irlbyron on tumblr and pls leave comments and kudos.


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